The Opposite of Cabin Fever
by singntheshower
Summary: Rookie police officer Finn Hudson just got off the grave yard shift when his car collided with Miss Rachel Berry's. In a twist of fate, they both witness a robbery gone wrong. Will they drive each other crazy in protective custody?
1. Didn't See That Coming

A/N: Here's a new A/U story for you guys! I'm in the middle of at least four stories right now, so please be patient! But I couldn't NOT write this when the idea hit me the other night (if that makes sense). And I'm pretty excited about this one. So, here you go :)

Oh, and I don't own Glee or the characters.

The Opposite of Cabin Fever

New York City isn't exactly the most crime-infested place in the world, but it was definitely on the list of places that weren't exactly the safest. That's one of the reasons why people in New York had to be tough; more often than not, they had to take care of themselves due to the dwindling police presence in the city because of budget cuts. But one young rookie was trying to change that. He wanted to make the streets a safe place to live. Some people call him naïve. His mother insists that he's "just the sweetest!".

Finn Hudson was twenty two years old and had just completed his training at the police academy six months ago. Walking around in his police officer's uniform made Finn feel like the epitome of cool, but since he was a rookie, he still had a lot to learn. And let's not forget to mention that all rookies are endlessly picked on by superior officers for at least a year after they get out of the academy.

It was ten in the morning on a beautiful day in New York and Finn had just clocked out from his overnight shift. Rookies also get the crappiest shifts, too. He was driving along Vine Street in his truck, looking forward to getting back to his tiny apartment and getting some sleep.

Right at that point in time, his department was focusing on a particular family that was wreaking havoc in the crime sector; they kind of reminded Finn of a modern day mob family, committing numerous crimes: burglary, murder, assault, falsification of official documents, and too many other offenses to count. The only problem was that the police couldn't gather the evidence to lock them away. The faces of the entire Florimonte family were posted on a huge whiteboard at the precinct with tons of leads and other things scribbled on it.

Finn had seen those faces for hours a day when he wasn't on patrol. And that's why he was positive that he had just seen Nick Florimonte, one of the younger family members, walk into a gas station that was to the right of him. For a few moments, Finn was totally and completely distracted by the feeling in his gut that something was off.

The last time he had seen Nick, he was arresting him for assault. Finn remembered the incident clearly. Nick was stronger than he looked and it took Finn a few moments of wrestling to subdue the guy.

_"Stop resisting!" Finn shouted as he placed the cuffs around Nick's wrists. Once they were secured, Finn pulled the guy to his feet and led him to the patrol car._

_"You're really going to regret this, Officer Hudson," Nick said, looking down at Finn's nametag._

_"Sure I am, buddy," Finn said, putting him in the backseat of the car._

The next morning, Nick was out on bail. The charges were dropped for insufficient evidence, astounding Finn.

Finn's attention was abruptly brought back to the present when his car slammed into the car in front of him. Finn immediately slammed on his breaks, a slight panic setting in. He looked up and saw that his lane had the red light.

"Shit," he said under his breath. He looked at the car in front of him and noticed at first that it was pretty crappy. He could barely see the driver's head. It was almost completely blocked by the headrest. So he figured that person must be really, really short.

Finn put his car into park before climbing out and surveying the damage. He walked to the front of his car and could plainly see the huge dent that he made in other car.

"Son of a bitch," he complained under his breath. If only he had been paying closer attention! Finn took a deep breath before walking to the driver's side of the other car. He bent over and was taken aback for a second. There, sitting in the driver's seat, was probably the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She was looking at him with a slight panic in her big, brown eyes. Her mouth was slightly ajar and he could see that she had perfect teeth. Her hair was long and brown and looked so shiny. He imagined that it would be really, really soft, too.

"Are you alright?" he asked after he collected his thoughts.

The girl nodded woodenly. "I think so," she murmured.

"Well, how about we pull into that parking lot and get out of the way. We're kind of holding up traffic," Finn said, looking at the cars behind him. The drivers that he could see looked kind of pissed off.

"Alright," the girl said, still seeming a little dazed. Finn really hoped that she didn't hit her head or something.

"I'll be right behind you," Finn said. The girl nodded again and Finn walked back to his car and got in. He put the car into drive and pulled in the parking lot right behind the crappy car of the gorgeous girl. A girl that looked as good as her shouldn't be driving such a piece of shit, he figured. She looked almost like a movie star or something.

Finn shook his head like it was an Etch-a-Sketch, trying to get rid of the thoughts and focus.

He parked next to the girl and watched as she got out of her car. She really was short; she could barely see over the top of her car! Finn shut off his engine before climbing back out. She stood on the driver's side of her car and he stood by the passenger side door.

"Would you like to explain to me what just happened?" the girl shouted at him over the top of the car. He looked at her in surprise and could see that she looked kind of pissed. Obviously she wasn't dazed anymore.

"I'm really sorry," Finn said quickly. "I got distracted."

"Well that's just great! Are you aware that you could have killed me if you were going any faster? Or you could have seriously injured me!" the girl shouted.

"I'm really sorry…" he said, waiting for her to supply her name.

"Rachel Berry," the girl said scathingly.

"Rachel," Finn said. "I'm Officer Finn Hudson and I'm really sorry. I was working all night and I guess my attention just drifted or something." He didn't know why he just told Rachel that he was an officer; maybe part of him was trying to impress her or something.

"Officer?" she said, sounding surprised. "As in police officer?"

"Yeah," Finn said.

"It's good to know that even accomplished police officers have trouble with breaking the law! That makes me feel _so_ safe!" Rachel continued shouting.

"I don't know about the accomplished part. I'm just a rookie," Finn explained abashedly.

"That explains it then!" Rachel shouted. Finn was starting to get annoyed. He apologized and she wasn't seriously hurt, so why the hell was she still yelling at him?

"I get that you're pissed," Finn said slowly, "can you just, like, stop yelling at me? You're making me feel like I'm sixteen again and getting yelled at by my mom."

Rachel smiled just a little before frowning angrily again. "Am I supposed to be happy that you slammed into the back of my car? I have an audition to get to and you're going to make me miss it!"

"This car's kind of a piece of crap," Finn said, chuckling, looking down at the rusted blue thing. "You really shouldn't be that mad. It's not like it's new."

Rachel looked rather offended, almost like she had been slapped. "I'll have you know that my fathers bought me this car for my graduation right before they died. We didn't have a lot of money and I'm really proud of it!"

Finn froze, instantly regretting the words. "I'm sorry. I didn't know," he said quietly, looking ashamed.

"No, you didn't know. You know what they say about assumptions!" Rachel said.

"Yeah. I'm an ass. Sorry," he said.

"I forgive you for your lapse in judgment," she said in a huff.

"Give me your number," Finn said abruptly.

"You just slammed into the back of my car and now you're asking me for my number?" she yelled, looking at him like he was crazy.

Finn rolled his eyes at how ridiculous she was being. "It's for insurance," he explained. "We need to exchange information so we can get your car fixed."

Rachel looked down out of embarrassment. "Oh," she said quietly. Finn almost laughed. "Just let me get some paper," she said, opening her car door back open and searching around inside.

Finn just went into his wallet and pulled out one of his business cards with all of his information on it. He was pretty proud of the title "Officer" printed on the card and he handed them out whenever he could.

Rachel stood back up with a piece of paper in her hand and walked around the front of the car to stand in front of Finn. The first thing Finn noticed was how damn short her skirt was! And she had these amazingly long, tan legs that got him pretty excited. He shook his head, reminding himself that he wasn't some horny teenager anymore. He needed to focus.

He looked up and saw Rachel hold out a card. "I'll just give you my business card. I can assure you that all of the information is accurate. These are the cards I hand out on my auditions, so they don't have any phony numbers or anything on them," she explained quickly. She handed it to Finn. He looked down and saw that it was a light pink color and had a star in the corner. He smiled a little.

"Here's my card," he said, handing his business card over to Rachel. Rachel looked down at it. It was kind of boring, but she let it slide.

"Thank you, officer," Rachel said, looking up at him with a small smile.

"I'm off duty," Finn said with a smile in return. "You can just call me Finn. Rachel smiled at him.

They then both turned their heads sharply when they heard the muted sound of gunshots. Finn tensed quickly and reached for his gun, but then he realized that he didn't have his uniform on. And his other gun was in his glove box.

They both continued staring at the source of the noise in a mixture of confusion and anticipation. Rachel jumped when a man ran from the gas station next to the parking lot they were in. He ran toward them and she could see the gun in his hand.

Finn's stomach dropped when he realized that it was Nick Florimonte holding the gun. He looked at Finn and a look of panic clouded Nick's features before he cleared it and smiled sickly toward Finn.

"Get down!" Finn shouted, pulling Rachel down as Nick raised the gun and fired right to where Finn had been standing a second ago. Finn heard the sound of gunshots hitting his car and was afraid to raise his head.

"We have to get out of here," Finn said calmly to Rachel. He looked at her and realized that she was totally and completely freaking out. "Get in my car," he ordered.

"What?" she shouted as bullets continued flying. "I'm not getting in your car!"

"Get in or get shot," he deadpanned. He then reached his hand up and opened the back door. Rachel looked apprehensive, but Finn grabbed her around her tiny waist and pushed her toward the car. She climbed in quickly.

"Stay down!" he shouted. Finn closed the door before opening the driver's side door and climbing inside. Nick was standing there, reloading his gun, as Finn started his car. Finn ducked down as far he could, praying that he could pull away before Nick was done reloading.

Rachel peeked out of the window and looked right at the man. He was fumbling around with his gun, so she figured it was safe for her to sit up. Just as she did, the guy looked right at her. The look of pure hatred on his face made Rachel feel like getting sick.

Finn pulled away quickly just as Nick raised the gun again and aimed it at them.

Rachel dropped just as the bullet shattered the window.

"Rachel!" Finn shouted.

He pulled out of the parking lot and sped toward the street, tires squealing. Once they were a safe distance away, Finn glanced back at Rachel.

"Are you alright?" he asked, sounding panicked.

Rachel sat up slowly and it took her a few moments to speak. "I think so," she said quietly.

"Did you get hit?" he asked.

"No," she said, still quiet.

"Good," he said. He continued driving at a quick speed toward the police station. He needed to make a report and let everyone know that he and Rachel were almost killed by some maniac!

"Where are we going?" Rachel asked from the backseat.

Finn looked at her in the rearview mirror and noticed that she looked a little shaken. "We're going to the station. The captain will tell us what to do next."

He glanced in the rearview mirror again and saw her nod solemnly.

Minutes later, they were pulling into the station and Rachel hadn't spoken a word. It was a complete 180 as compared to the way she was shouting at him before. He parked his car before climbing out and opening the back door for Rachel. She climbed out slowly and Finn noticed the small cuts on her arms and legs.

"Are you okay?" he asked, motioning to the cuts.

"I'm fine," she said. "The glass from your window cut me." Finn was a little worried. She almost sounded like a robot. He put his hand on her upper back and led her toward the station.

Before they could make it to the door, Rachel put her hand over her mouth and ran toward the garbage can right by the entrance. Finn cringed a little when he heard her throw up noisily into it. He turned back to his car and grabbed the unopened bottle of water out of his cup holder and the pack of gum from his center console.

He returned to Rachel and saw her still with her head bent over the garbage can. He gently placed his hand on her upper back. She stood up straight and looked at him. He smiled a little before handing her the bottled water and gum.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

"No problem," he said.

Rachel drank some water, getting rid of the taste of vomit, before placing a piece of gum in her mouth.

"You ready to go in now?" Finn asked. Rachel looked up at him and nodded. He put his hand back on her back, really enjoying the contact, before leading her into the station.

-glee-glee-glee-

"You've got to be kidding me?" Finn shouted at his captain.

"I'm afraid not, Hudson," Captain Reynolds huffed.

"I understand why Rachel has to go into protective custody, but why me?" Finn asked.

"You were off duty when this occurred. Technically, you were a citizen. And it's pretty obvious from what both you and Miss Berry have said that he knows who you are and was pretty adamant about killing you," Captain Reynolds explained.

Finn sat back in the chair in his captain's office and let out a slow breath.

"How long will this go on?" Finn asked.

"As long as it takes to find him," the Captain said. "Florimonte killed two people at the gas station before attempting to kill the two of you. Rachel's car had been gone through. Her wallet was taken, but we found her license on the ground. He shot a hole in her picture."

Finn took another deep breath. "Where do I go now?" he asked.

"Both you and Miss Berry will be relocating to Jersey for the time being. We already have the reservation at the motel ready for you," the captain said.

"Wait. The _both_ of us are going to be staying there _together_?" he asked.

"We don't have a big budget, Hudson. You know that. We can't afford to keep the two of you at two different places. The faster we find Florimonte, the faster things will get back to normal," the captain said.

Finn looked up at the ceiling in frustration. "Fine," he huffed. "What next?"

"You'll report downstairs and we'll give you a credit card. It's untraceable and to be used for food and clothing _only_. No beer or anything unnecessary," he said.

"Wait. You can't afford two motel rooms, but you can give me a credit card?" he asked incredulously.

"We'll take a little of it out of your paycheck here and there," the captain said, shrugging. "Plus, you won't be getting paid for a while since you won't be working…"

"Awesome," Finn said sarcastically.

-glee-glee-glee-

"Do you know where I can find Rachel Berry?" Finn asked one of the people at the main desk.

"She's making a phone call," the older woman said. "Apparently, she has a cat that needs to be taken care of and insisted that she receive her one phone call. I told her she wasn't under arrest and that it was too dangerous, but she's pretty persistent."

Finn chuckled. "Sounds like her," he said. He thanked the woman before sitting down in the lobby area, waiting for Rachel.

Minutes later, he saw her walking toward him while wiping her eyes. He stood up quickly.

"You okay?" he asked.

Rachel nodded. "I'll be just fine. My landlord's a really sweet old man. He's worried about me and everything. He's all alone, just like me. His wife died two years ago and he told me to be safe and that he didn't know what he'd do without me. Made me cry," she said, sounding embarrassed.

"He sounds awesome," Finn said with a small smile.

"He is," Rachel said with a wide grin. "This might sound weird, but I consider him my best friend."

"That's not weird," Finn said quickly. "My mom's my best friend. Then there's my friend Puck, but I can only tolerate him half the time."

Rachel smiled even more widely and Finn was mesmerized for a moment.

"So what do we do now?" Rachel asked.

"There's a cab waiting outside for us to take us to the motel. We can grab some food or something after we get there. Oh, and some clothes," Finn said.

Rachel took a deep breath, but nodded. "Let's go then," she said, trying to sound brave.

-glee-glee-glee-

"I seriously can't believe this is happening," Rachel said in disbelief from next to Finn. The cab was on its way to the motel and Rachel still couldn't believe that things like this really happened. "I feel like I'm on some terrible cop drama show or something."

"I like shows like that," Finn said, shrugging.

"Really?" Rachel asked, surprised. "I thought that most cops were offended since the shows aren't really like real life."

"Well, they're not. I mean, most of the time, I'm just scaring kids away from loitering or something or arresting people for being drunk in public or giving people tickets for traffic violations," Finn said, feeling a little embarrassed. "Today is the most action I've ever seen. Stuff like that doesn't really happen like that all the time. But I watch those shows and realize that it could be a lot more dangerous and stuff. Sure, it _is_ a dangerous job sometimes, but today is the closest I've come to being killed."

"I haven't thanked you yet," Rachel said.

"For what?" Finn asked, sounding confused.

"You kind of saved my life," Rachel explained.

Finn chuckled. "I yelled at you and shoved you in my car. Any other time, that's abduction," he said.

"Well, this time, you saved me. You could have left me or something, but instead you made sure I was safe," Rachel said.

"It's my job," Finn said quickly.

"You were off duty," Rachel countered.

"Fine then. It was a reflex," he said.

"Whatever you say," Rachel said, laughing a little. Finn smiled. He _really _liked her laugh. "Thanks for having the reflex to save people."

"No problem," Finn said.

-glee-glee-glee-

"I'm pretty sure I just contracted Chlamydia from just looking at this bed," Finn complained with a frown.

"I've seen worse," Rachel said, shrugging. _Hell, I've slept on worse_, she thought. They were in the motel room, which was probably one of the cheapest motels that Finn had ever seen. The blankets on the bed looked kind of gross and the couch with the fold out bed looked lumpy and uncomfortable. The room was tiny. And Finn was kind of scared to go and see how nasty the bathroom looked.

"Are you hungry?" Finn asked, taking a seat on the couch while Rachel plopped on the corner of the bed.

"I still feel kind of sick, actually," Rachel said. "I'm not a cop. I'm not used to people wanting to kill me."

"It does take some getting used to," Finn said, shrugging.

"If you're hungry, we can grab you something and then find somewhere to get some clothes and other necessities," Rachel said.

"Sounds great," Finn said.

-glee-glee-glee-

"I am _not_ sharing razors," Finn said, looking at Rachel like she had three heads.

"Finn, it's cheaper to just get the one pack instead of me getting another," Rachel said.

"But girls shave their legs and _other stuff_," he said quietly.

Rachel rolled her eyes at him being so ridiculous. "Fine. Let's spend more money than we need to," she said, sounding exasperated.

"Why do you care?" Finn asked. "It's not like this is coming out of _your _paycheck."

"I care because I know what it's not like to have a lot of money and I don't want to spend all of yours," Rachel snapped.

"Oh. Well, I'm pretty sure that an extra pack of razors won't kill me," he said, throwing some pink razors into the shopping cart.

He walked behind Rachel and couldn't help to stare at her ass. It was… perfect. Sure, she was kind of annoying, but he could totally forgive her with an ass like _that_.

"Hell, no," Finn said quickly as Rachel went to put some shampoo and conditioner in the cart. "I am _not_ smelling like a chick."

"Well, I refuse to smell like a man," Rachel said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Isn't there some, like, gender neutral shampoo or something?" Finn asked.

Rachel let out her breath in a huff before grabbing the shampoo and conditioner and putting it back on the shelf. After some more searching, which involved opening the shampoo and conditioners and sniffing them, Finn and Rachel _finally _agreed on a scent.

"I feel uncomfortable," Finn said, standing in the middle of the aisle. He was surrounded by tampons and other _feminine products_.

"Don't be ridiculous, Finn," Rachel said, rolling her eyes. She scanned the shelves and found the tampons that were the cheapest but still worked fairly well. She threw the tampons into the cart and Finn slight cringed away from them, making Rachel roll her eyes again.

"Will this brand suffice?" Rachel asked, holding up the box of toothpaste.

"That's fine," Finn said, shrugging.

"Good. We wouldn't want you having _girly_ breath or anything if we chose the wrong brand," she said sarcastically. She turned in time to see Finn scowl at her.

Rachel and Finn then spent some more time trying to find clothes. Finn was pretty simple to shop for. He just grabbed some plain t-shirts and basketball shorts since it was the middle of summer. Part of him was kind of glad that Rachel was there 'cause she totally reminded him that he would need socks and underwear.

Then Finn stood there, bored out of his mind, as Rachel looked at the summer dresses. "Are you sure we shouldn't be in the kids' section?" Finn said with a smile, looking at her small stature.

Rachel glared at him. "I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but it turns out that I, Rachel Berry, was wrong," she huffed.

"What are you talking about?" Finn asked in confusion.

"I thought you were nice, but you're turning out to be kind of a jerk," Rachel said. "You made fun of my car, you're making fun of how vertically challenged I am. I wonder what's next."

"I am not a jerk," Finn insisted.

Rachel looked at him with disbelief written all over her face. "Sure you aren't," she said. Finn scowled at her again. After she was done picking out some dresses and undergarments, she and Finn walked over to the food section of the store.

"What kind do you like?" Finn asked, motioning to the lunch meat.

"I'm a vegan. I don't eat animal byproducts," Rachel said.

Finn turned his head and looked at her quickly. "Really? Isn't eating all that vegan stuff more expensive?"

"Not if you know what to buy," Rachel said. "I'm pretty good at finding the bargains."

Ten minutes later, they had enough food for breakfast and lunches for the next couple of days. They spent _way _less than Finn expected. He had to admit that Rachel was pretty badass at shopping and saving money.

The store was literally a block away from the motel, so they had no problem carrying the bags to the motel. Finn offered to carry more bags than Rachel, but this slightly insulted her.

"I am not some weak woman, Finn! I'm stronger than I look!" she exclaimed. Then, she grabbed six of the nine bags and carried them herself, surprising Finn. He walked behind her on the way back to the hotel and couldn't help but chuckle to himself when she had to keep adjusting the bags because the weight was getting to her.

He was even more surprised that she didn't ask him to grab some of the bags from her. They were in the hotel room and she set them down on the tiny kitchen table.

"See! I told you I was strong," Rachel said with a satisfied smile.

"I'm pretty sure that you're just too stubborn to admit that you needed help," Finn said with a smirk.

"There you go being a jerk again," Rachel huffed.

Finn glared at her but didn't say anything. They put the things away in silence. There was a tiny closet inside with a small dresser. There were only a couple of hangers and Rachel claimed them for her dresses, which didn't really bother Finn. He did get a little annoyed when Rachel tried to straighten up his stuff more.

"Will you just leave my stuff alone?" Finn said, sounding exasperated.

"I'm just trying to keep this place tidy, Finn," Rachel snapped. "There's no excuse for you to be messy."

Finn brought his hand up and rested it to his forehead. "I swear you're giving me a headache," he complained.

"Trust me, Finn, I would much rather be at my place rather than stuck here with _you_ cleaning up after you like you're a child!" Rachel shouted.

"Well, I'd much rather be on patrol for three days straight than sit here and listen to you yelling at me for stupid shit!" Finn shouted back.

"It's _your_ fault we're even here in the first place!" Rachel yelled.

"My fault? How the hell is this my fault?" he asked, sounding angry and confused.

"If you hadn't crashed your car into mine in the first place, we wouldn't have witnessed a crime and had some lunatic insisting on killing us! And I would have made it to my audition and gotten the part and would have _finally_ done something with my life!" Rachel yelled with tears forming in her eyes.

"You're one of _those_ people," Finn said harshly, chuckling.

"One of what 'people'?" Rachel snapped, still with tears forming in her eyes.

"One of those struggling little actors who would rather professionally lie and make tons of money doing it instead of getting a real job!" Finn shouted.

Rachel stepped away from him. "You don't know anything about me," she said coldly.

"Sure I do," Finn said, getting frustrated. "You sit there and think that you're special 'cause you have _talent_, so you insist that everyone treat you like you're royalty or something! News flash, babe! It's time to grow up!"

"I was wrong. You're not a jerk. You're an asshole," Rachel said firmly. Finn watched as her face crumbled and she started crying.

Finn immediately regretted everything he said as soon as she started crying. _I am an asshole_, he thought to himself. But instead of apologizing, he just stood there like an idiot and watched Rachel run to the front door. She pulled the door open and ran outside, slamming it behind her.

Rachel didn't go far since she didn't know this area of Jersey very well. But she couldn't help but be totally crushed by what Finn had said. Being on stage acting and singing was in her bones; it was the only thing she had ever wanted to do since the tender age of two. Her fathers put her in every singing and dancing class they could to try and hone her skills. They had faith in her and wanted to see her shine.

Shortly after high school graduation, they were in a car accident. Neither of them survived. That's part of the reason why Rachel was so freaked out today. She was very nervous when in a car, so when Finn hit her, it scared the crap out of her and reminded her of how she lost her fathers.

Thinking of them made her feel like she was letting them down. They had so much faith in her and supported her so much. They would tell her constantly how excited they were to see her finally land a starring role on Broadway. And here she was, three years out of high school, without even an understudy role to put on her resume. Casting directors told her that she just wasn't "right" for the role.

One even had the audacity to tell her to come back after she had a nose job. So, instead of doing what she wanted, Rachel was forced to become a bartender at a bar a few blocks from her place, where the amount of money she made depended on how little of clothes she was wearing. It wasn't the most honorable of jobs, but it put food on her table. And helped to feed her cat, Sophia.

Rachel lived above a convenience store owned by Charles, who was also her landlord. He lived in the only other apartment in the building, right next door to her. He really was a sweet older man. He reminded her of her fathers and he seemed to care about her just as much as they did, too. He even made her sing for him at least once a night. His five children were all grown and only one of them still lived in New York.

As Rachel sat there, she realized how much she missed Charles. She wasn't supposed to call him for safety reasons, but one little phone call couldn't hurt. She needed him to tell her everything would be okay.

Rachel went into the main office of the motel and asked to use the telephone. The owner of the motel was kind of gross and was obviously flirting with Rachel, so it wasn't difficult for her to convince him to let her use the phone. She even dialed *67 before Charles's number so that the number would show up blocked.

"Hello?" a female voice asked. The woman almost sounded like she had been crying.

"Hi," Rachel said as pleasantly as she could. "Is Charles available?"

"Is this Rachel?" the voice asked.

"Um, yes," Rachel said carefully.

"It's Mercedes, Rachel," the voice said. _Oh, Charles's daughter!_ Rachel remembered.

"Hi, Mercedes. Is your dad there?" Rachel asked.

"Rachel, I don't know how to tell you this…" Mercedes began.

"Tell me what?" Rachel said, feeling confused.

"I know how much you cared about my dad," Mercedes said, sounding choked up. "And I don't blame you for what happened."

"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked, feeling her stomach drop.

"My dad's dead, Rachel," Mercedes said quietly. "He was shot this afternoon."

"He can't be dead! I just talked to him!" Rachel protested.

"He's gone, Rachel," Mercedes said sadly. "I found him when I came with his medicine. And I found a note…"

"What did it say?" Rachel asked after a moment. She felt as if she would collapse at any moment.

"It said 'I will find Rachel Berry'," Mercedes said. "The cops think they know who did it but they won't tell me anything."

That instant, Rachel knew exactly who did it, too. She felt like getting sick again.

"I have to go, Mercedes," Rachel said quietly.

"Okay. Call me sometime and I'll let you know about funeral arrangements," Mercedes said, sounding like she was on the verge of crying again. "And don't worry about your cat. She likes me and I'll keep an eye on her."

"Thank you," Rachel said. "And I'm so sorry for your loss."

"I appreciate that," Mercedes said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," Rachel said simply. She hung up the phone and walked right out of the office, ignoring the comments of the creepy motel owner. She stomped all the way to her and Finn's room, trying to contain her sadness and rage. She felt like she was rapidly going insane.

She burst through the door and slammed it shut behind her.

"There you are!" she heard Finn say in relief. He looked at her face and realized that she looked angrier than he had seen her so far. It was slightly frightening. "What's going on?" Finn asked warily.

"That son of a bitch!" Rachel yelled. She turned and punched the wall as hard as she could, making Finn jump. She then cried out in pain and pulled her hand into her chest.

"Shit, Rach!" Finn said, walking forward to survey the damage. He reached out to grab her hand, but she remembered that he hurt her feelings, so she stepped away from him.

"Don't touch me," she said harshly. She continued to cradle her hand as angry tears fell down her cheeks.

"Sorry!" Finn said quickly, holding up his hands in defeat. "Who the hell are you pissed at now?"

"Charles is dead!" Rachel shouted. "That Nick guy killed him and it's all my fault!" Finn stood there, frozen for a second as Rachel plopped down onto the bed.

"Wait. How do you know he's dead?" Finn asked.

Rachel took a deep breath. She had tears in her eyes, but Finn couldn't tell if they were caused by her being sad, in pain, or angry. Maybe it was all three.

"I called his place from the motel phone. Don't worry, I blocked the number. His daughter answered and told me that he was shot. They found a note and it said 'I will find Rachel Berry'. Nick did it. I know it," Rachel said. Finn closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew Nick did it, too. Finn was kind of glad that he didn't really have any friends or family here that could be hurt because of this.

"I'm really sorry, Rachel," Finn said sincerely.

"I don't need your pity," Rachel said. "This is just the hard life of an unsuccessful actress that needs everyone to treat her like royalty. Don't bother."

Finn was about to say something else, but Rachel went into the bathroom and slammed the door.

"Shit," Finn complained under his breath.

-glee-glee-glee-

It took half an hour for Rachel to come out of the bathroom. Finn tried calling her name so that he could apologize, but she just ignored him. She went over to where her new things were and grabbed a tank top and some shorts for pajamas before going back into the bathroom.

Minutes later, she came back out after changing and brushing her teeth and face. She walked right past Finn without saying a word and climbed into the bed. She turned off the lamp closest to her and faced away from him.

"Rachel," Finn said quietly yet clearly. She just laid there and ignored him. "Rachel," he said again, waiting for a response.

Finn huffed before sitting down on the bed at her feet, facing her. "Come on, Rach. It's physically impossible to fall asleep that quickly."

Rachel's eyes snapped open and she glared at him. "What do you want?" she demanded.

Finn was a little intimidated to be honest. She was tiny, but she definitely packed a punch. "I just wanted to apologize for what I said earlier," Finn said. "You were right. I was being an asshole and I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated by this whole situation and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have insulted you like that."

Rachel scrutinized his expression for a few moments and decided that he really was sorry. "You're forgiven," she said. "But I would appreciate it if you got to know me before making assumptions about my life."

"Will do," he said, nodding. Rachel sat up and scooted next to him.

"And I'm sorry for snapping at you," she said. "I'm kind of like that all the time, honestly. I'm just a tad bit controlling."

"A 'tad bit'?" Finn asked with a smile.

Rachel smiled just a little. "Fine," she huffed. "I'm totally and completely controlling. I'm used to working hard and getting what I want and I like things a certain way. I'm sorry if that's a little difficult to handle."

Finn shrugged. "I think I can get used to it," he said. They sat side by side in silence for a few moments. "And I'm sorry about Charles. I can tell how much you care about him."

Rachel nodded slowly before she broke out into tears. She dropped her head into her hands, moaning a little when she moved her hand that she punched the wall with. Finn wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. She rested her head on his chest and he held her as she cried.

Minutes later, the sobbing noise quieted. Rachel sat up and wiped her eyes. "Do you want to know the worst part?" she asked Finn, looking up at him with bleary eyes. He couldn't explain why, but it hurt him to see her like this.

"What?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"I don't even think I can go to his funeral," Rachel said.

Finn reached a hand up and placed it on her back, rubbing it soothingly. "Probably not," Finn said. "Nick could go and just see if you show up or something."

"Great," Rachel said sarcastically. She reached up and wiped her eyes again.

"Can I ask you something?" Finn said.

"Go ahead," Rachel said.

"Well, while you were off making your phone call and stuff, I tried to open that fold out bed and it's broken," Finn said.

"That's not a question," Rachel informed him.

"Right. Well, I was wondering if I could, you know, share the bed with you. I'll totally keep my distance and everything," Finn assured her. Rachel smiled a little.

"What happened to getting Chlamydia from the bed?" she asked with a smile.

"I think that's better than what the floor might give me," he said, looking at the carpet with a frown.

Rachel giggled a little and Finn felt himself smile because of it. "That's fine, Finn," Rachel said. "I must warn you that I'm a snuggler. If you wake up and I'm all over you, it's because I automatically snuggle. Not because I'm coming onto you or anything."

"Uh huh," Finn said with a grin. "I know I'm irresistible. I understand if you can't control yourself around me."

Rachel rolled her eyes before elbowing him in the side. "You're hilarious," she said sarcastically. Finn laughed before getting up off the bed. Rachel laid back down and rolled onto her side again, pulling the blankets up over her. Finn walked over to the door and locked it before grabbing some pajamas and going into the bathroom to change.

Minutes later, Finn joined Rachel in the bed with some of his new shorts and a t-shirt on. He laid on his back and stared at the ceiling.

"Goodnight, Rachel," Finn said softly.

"Goodnight, Finn," Rachel replied. Hearing him say her name made him smile. If only Finn could see her, 'cause he would have seen her smiling, too.

-glee-glee-glee-

TBC

A/N: There's the first chapter! Leave some comments and let me know if you want me to keep going! I really like this story and I hope you guys do as well :)


	2. Getting to Know You

A/N: The response to this story has been amazing (and surprised me!) so here's chapter two! I hope it's everything you want it to be :) And I still don't own anything!

Chapter Two: Getting To Know You

Finn woke up in the middle of the night since he was used to being on the graveyard shift at work. He was totally surprised to see that Rachel was telling the truth. She was _all over_ him! Her leg was wrapped around his legs and her arm was slung around his midsection. But what surprised him even more was that his arm was wrapped around her, too. If this was a typical situation, Finn would have woken her up and politely asked her to scoot over, or at least he would have gently pushed her away.

But this wasn't a typical situation and Finn held onto her more tightly with a big grin on his face.

-glee-glee-glee-

Now, Finn was usually pretty pissed off when his neighbors woke him up. He got into plenty of arguments with them and even resorted to blasting his music when he knew they were trying to sleep (sure, he's a cop, but there's only so much a person can take).

So when he heard Rachel singing in the shower, waking him from his peaceful slumber, he was pissed. For about two seconds. Then, he just sat and listened to the most wonderful voice he had ever heard.

_Oh my man I love him so_

_He'll never know_

_All my life is just despair_

_But I don't care_

_When he takes me in his arms_

_The world is bright, alright_

_What's the difference if I say_

_I'll go away_

_When I know I'll come back _

_On my knees someday_

_For whatever my man is _

_I am his forever more! _

Finn sat there with his jaw wide open, wondering how in the world someone could sound so amazingly _perfect_. Now he felt like even more of an ass over what he said to her last night. Not only did she have talent, but she _deserved_ for people to treat her like she was royalty.

Then Finn had to sit back for a second. He totally realized that he sounded like a sappy chick. What was this girl doing to him? He was pretty sure that he liked her. Hell, even a blind person could see it. But did she like him? She seemed like she did last night, but then again, she could just be a huge flirt.

As soon as Finn thought that, he had to take it back. Rachel didn't seem like one of _those_ girls. She was definitely tough for someone that was so tiny. The definition of a New Yorker. Girls like that went after something they wanted. Finn could only hope that she decided to go after him.

Then he had to laugh, 'cause he totally sounded like he was back in high school again.

Minutes later, the bathroom door opened and Rachel walked out with damp hair, in one of the new dresses that they had bought yesterday.

"Good morning, Finn," Rachel said, sounding surprised. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"Kinda…" Finn said with a smirk.

"I'm so sorry!" Rachel apologized quickly. "Sometimes I just kind of forget where I am and just sing like I'm on stage or something…"

"Don't apologize," Finn said quickly, standing up. "I couldn't think of a better way to be woken up, honestly. I mean, you're incredible."

"That's very sweet of you to say," Rachel said with a wide smile.

"Seriously, how the hell are you not on stage right now?" Finn asked incredulously.

Rachel shrugged. "Some casting directors insist that I'm not _right_ for a part. I'm either too short or too tan or my nose is too big. I had an audition yesterday for _West Side Story_ and I was almost certain that I'd get the role. I've considered myself perfect for the role of Maria. I even went through a phase in high school where I wanted to change my name to Maria," Rachel said quickly, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Has anyone ever told you that you talk really fast?" Finn said with a smirk.

Rachel giggled. "I've heard that once or twice. I just get really excited when I start talking about Broadway," she explained.

"I wasn't making fun of you. Just making an observation," Finn said with a shrug.

"I know what you meant," Rachel said with a smile. "I'm finished in the bathroom if you want to get in. I showered rather quickly so that there would still be some hot water for you."

"Thanks, Rach," Finn said with a smile. He got up off the bed and headed toward where his clothes were. "Oh, and you're a pretty awesome snuggle buddy," Finn said with a smirk.

Rachel looked down in embarrassment. "I warned you," she said quietly.

Finn surprised her by laughing. "It's not a big deal, Rach," he said. "I didn't mind it." Rachel looked up at him and they shared a smile.

_She totally wants me_, Finn thought to himself.

"My dad used to call me 'Rach'," she said with a serene smile.

"Do you want me to stop?" Finn asked, not wanting to upset her.

"No! Not at all. I like it," she insisted.

"Then I'll be sure to keep doing it," Finn said with a cute little half smile. _Oh, he's adorable_, Rachel thought to herself. She watched as he walked in the bathroom. He smirked at her again before closing the door.

_And he totally wants me_, she thought to herself.

-glee-glee-glee-

"I am _so_ bored!" Rachel complained loudly.

"I had no idea," Finn said sarcastically. "It's not like you haven't said it every two minutes for the last hour or anything!"

"Don't be mean," Rachel chided. "We should go do something…"

"We can only leave when necessary," Finn reminded her. "The whole point of protective custody is to stay _away_ from danger, not walk around looking for it."

"We won't be looking for danger," Rachel said, rolling her eyes. "I saw a bar right on the corner. We won't even be going far."

"And how are we supposed to get drinks, Rach? You don't have an ID remember?" Finn said.

"You can just get them for me," Rachel said with a smile.

Finn huffed. "Well, how are we supposed to pay for them?" he asked, hoping he'd find a way to get out of it.

"The dress I was wearing yesterday has pockets. I safety pin my money on the inside in case my purse is snatched or I get hit by a pickpocket," Rachel said. "I was going to pay rent, but it looks like I don't need to do that now…"

Finn looked down, suddenly remembering her landlord, Charles. "I don't know about this, Rach," Finn said uneasily.

"Come on," Rachel said, trying to sound persuasive. "We've had a rough couple of days. We deserve to let loose a little."

Finn looked up at her and saw that she was pouting a little. He was total putty in her hands. "Fine," Finn relented.

Rachel squealed before jumping up and down, clapping her hands together in excitement. "This is going to be great," she said.

-glee-glee-glee-

"This is ridiculous!" Rachel complained, standing next to Finn at the bar. The place was totally packed and they found it damn near impossible to get the bartender's attention to order their drinks.

"You're the one that wanted to come here," Finn reminded her. "We could have just grabbed some beer from the store."

"I'm not in the mood for beer. I want some mixed drinks," Rachel said, rolling her eyes. "Do you think he'd mind if I jumped back there and made them myself?"

Finn turned to her, surprised. "You know how to make drinks?" he asked.

"I'm a bartender," she explained. "But don't judge me! There aren't many jobs in New York and I'm lucky I got the one that I have!"

"I'm not judging you," Finn said quickly. "I think that's kind of cool."

"It's not always cool," Rachel said, shaking her head. "More often than not, I'm turning down drunk old dudes that think it's okay to grope someone."

"That sounds terrible," Finn said with a small frown.

Rachel shrugged. "It pays the bills," she said. "And I'm not stupid. I've taken self defense classes." Finn smiled at her. "Do you think they'll fire me after this? I haven't even called and explained anything to my boss yet," Rachel said, sounding a bit worried.

"We'll figure something out tomorrow," Finn said, trying to ease her worry. "We're supposed to be letting loose tonight, remember?"

"You're right," Rachel said with a blinding smile. "I'll be right back." Finn watched in amazement as Rachel walked around the back of the bar and started making her drink. She even grabbed Finn a beer and placed a ten dollar bill by the register before walking back out. The bartender didn't even notice.

"That was awesome!" Finn chuckled.

"Thank you," Rachel said with a little curtsy, giggling.

-glee-glee-glee-

Finn watched as Rachel danced on the impromptu dance floor. She had some pretty good moves for a drunk chick. Finn wasn't much of a dancer, so he just supervised, making sure that she didn't fall and hurt herself or something.

He watched as some older dude stumbled up to her. It was obvious that he was totally wasted, too. He grabbed Rachel's hips and started swaying along with her. Finn didn't like that at all. He grew even more concerned when he saw Rachel put her hands on his chest and attempt to push him away from her. At that point, Finn decided that he had to intervene.

So, he left his half-empty beer and walked over to where Rachel was still attempting to push the guy away.

"I don't want to dance with you," Rachel said in a child-like voice.

"Why not?" the guy slurred. Rachel looked up and looked around, trying to find Finn. She smiled when she saw him walking toward her.

"I'm his," Rachel said loudly, pointing toward Finn. Finn knew she was drunk and that she probably didn't know what she was talking about, but he still felt his chest swell with pride. The drunk dude looked up and saw Finn coming toward him. He scampered away like a dog with its tail between its legs. Finn found that pretty funny.

"Hi, Finn!" Rachel said excitedly when he finally reached her. She threw her arms around him in a hug and he hugged her back.

"You ready to get out of here, Rach?" Finn asked.

"That might be a good idea," Rachel said. "Your face is kinda blurry." Finn laughed before putting an arm around Rachel's shoulders and leading her out of the bar.

As they were walking outside, Finn could have sworn he saw a familiar face. He did a double take, but when he looked again, the person he thought he saw was gone. Finn just shook his head, figuring the beer was getting to him a little.

"You would think a bartender would have a higher tolerance," Finn said, chuckling. He was clearly supporting Rachel, who was finding it rather difficult to remain upright on her own.

"It's just 'cause I'm all tiny and stuff," Rachel said, sounding like a child again.

"How many drinks did you have?" Finn asked, obviously amused.

Rachel had to think for a moment. "Four I think," she said, shrugging. "I can't really remember." She then abruptly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and looked up at Finn. "I like you," she blurted out, unashamed.

Finn looked down at her and smiled. "I like you too, Rach," he replied. He was then taken completely by surprise when she jumped up and put her lips to his for an intense kiss. Finn was really enjoying himself, but he didn't want his and Rachel's relationship to be determined by a drunken kiss in the middle of the street.

So, Finn gently put his hands on Rachel's shoulders and pushed her away.

"We can't do this, Rach," he said quietly. She looked confused for a second before she started pouting.

"I'm not pretty enough, right?" she said, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. "It's what everyone says! My nose is too big and my eyes make me look like some animated cartoon character!"

"No, Rach! That's not it at all!" Finn insisted. Rachel backed away from Finn as the tears started to fall.

"Yes it is! I can never have what I want!" Rachel cried before turning back toward the motel and attempting to run the rest of the way.

Finn followed right behind her. He was inches away from her when she tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground. Instead of getting up, she just sat there and dropped her head into her hands, crying.

Finn crouched down next to her and put his hand under her chin, making her look up at him. "Rachel, you're gorgeous. And I really, really like you. I just don't want to do anything that you won't remember in the morning, okay?" Finn said, trying to sound comforting.

Rachel sniffled. Finn thought she looked adorable. "Do you really mean that?" she asked.

"Of course I do," Finn insisted. He reached up and wiped away the tears just as Rachel started smiling. "Come on, let's get you back and in bed, alright?" Rachel nodded.

Finn stood and crouched over, helping Rachel to her feet. When she was steady, he wrapped an arm securely around her waist and led her back to the motel.

Finn felt like he was a teenager helping a drunk friend get home before their mom figured out they were wasted. He grabbed Rachel a t-shirt of his for pajamas and helped her into the bathroom. Minutes later, she called him in after she had trouble putting the toothpaste on her toothbrush. Finn also had to hold her hair while she washed her face; she couldn't remember where she put her rubber band for her hair.

After she was ready to go to sleep, Finn led her to bed and eased her down before grabbing the garbage can and placing it next to her on the floor.

"Thanks, Finn," Rachel said sleepily. "You're all awesome and stuff."

Finn chuckled. "You're welcome, Rach," he said with a warm smile. "Now get some sleep. I'll have the aspirin ready for you when you wake up."

"Okay," she responded quietly. She then rolled on her side and closed her eyes.

Minutes later, Finn walked out of the bathroom, ready for bed. He turned all the lights off and locked the door before climbing in the bed. Rachel was already snoring lightly, which made Finn smile. He climbed into the bed carefully, not wanting to jostle her.

Before he could totally fall asleep, he felt Rachel scoot toward him before throwing both her arm and leg over him. Finn knew that she didn't know what she was doing, but he was fully conscious of his actions as he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

-glee-glee-glee-

"Oh God!" Rachel moaned the next morning. "Please turn off the sun!" Finn couldn't help but laugh as he sat at the small dining room table, eating his cereal (using one of the spoons and bowls that Rachel reminded him to get the other day).

Rachel peeked an eye open and glared at Finn. "I'm glad you think me being hungover is funny," Rachel said sarcastically.

"It's freaking hilarious," Finn said with a smirk. Rachel slowly got up and walked over to Finn, grabbing the aspirin off the table next to him. "I knew you would need those," he said, chuckling.

"Don't make me hurt you," Rachel warned as she opened the bottle before throwing two aspirin in her mouth. Finn couldn't help but laugh at her threat.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" Finn asked with a smile.

"Vaguely," Rachel said. Then she narrowed her eyes at him. "Why? What happened?"

Finn shrugged. "You said you liked me," he said nonchalantly.

"I kind of have to like you," Rachel said, rolling her eyes. "We're stuck together indefinitely, remember?"

"I don't think you meant it that way," Finn said, the smirk not leaving his face.

"What? Are you a mind reader?" Rachel snapped.

"No. I'm pretty sure I know how you meant it after you kissed me," he said, gloating.

He looked up in time to see Rachel's blank face; she was at a loss for words.

After a few moments, she seemed to find her voice. "I was _drunk_, Finn! I wasn't thinking clearly!" Rachel insisted.

"Yeah you were," Finn countered. "Just admit that you like me and we can get past this whole awkward stage."

Rachel huffed before turning on her heel and marching into the bathroom.

"Someone's in denial!" Finn shouted right before she slammed the door.

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling in complete and utter boredom. Finn sat in one of the chairs at the tiny table in the kitchen. He was playing solitaire with some cards they bought at the store the other night, but he wasn't really focusing on the game. He kept glancing at Rachel with a grin on his face. He knew she was bored and he was just waiting for her to start complaining.

"Still feel hungover?" he asked with a smirk.

"Not really," Rachel admitted. "Those aspirin kicked in pretty quickly."

They then both jumped as they heard a ringing noise. Finn remembered the phone in his pocket that the precinct gave him for emergencies. He reached in his pocket and pulled it out.

"You had a phone this entire time?" Rachel yelled, sitting up and glaring at him. "I had to go convince the creepy motel owner to let me use his phone while you had one?"

"You never asked if I had one," Finn said with a grin.

Rachel groaned and lay back down. "You're such a child," she complained.

"Takes one to know one," Finn said in a sing-song voice.

Rachel sat up and looked at him in confusion. "You are aware that you're old enough to use comebacks meant for someone older than four, right?" she asked.

"Oh, I know. I just like getting on your nerves," Finn said, shrugging. He looked back up in time to see Rachel glare at him.

"Who is the message from?" Rachel asked in a huff.

"The precinct, I guess," Finn said. "They say they have a lead."

"Thank God!" Rachel said, plopping back down again. Finn closed the phone and put it back in his pocket. Minutes later, he heard Rachel groan.

"I'm bored!" she said. Finn immediately started laughing at her.

-glee-glee-glee-

"Can you please stop staring at me?" Rachel asked from across the table. "You're making me nervous." She and Finn were sitting there, playing poker. The afternoon had already turned to evening. Earlier, Rachel tried to convince Finn to go out again, but he refused. So now they sat at the table, playing cards.

"This is poker. I have to stare at you to see if you're bluffing," Finn said. He then grinned to himself. Honestly, he was just doing it to get on her nerves again. Seeing Rachel throw a bitch fit was quite entertaining. Plus, getting on each other's nerves was pretty much the only thing they could do.

"I have played poker before, Finn. It doesn't involve _staring_," Rachel snapped.

"Just give up and I won't have to stare at you anymore," Finn said.

"Not gonna happen. Rachel Berry is not a quitter," she said. "I'm all in." She pushed her pieces of paper that doubled as their makeshift poker chips toward the center of the table.

Finn looked down at his cards and realized that he had a really crappy hand. "I fold," he said, tossing the cards down.

He looked back up in time to see Rachel smiling brightly. "Your staring thing didn't really help. I didn't have a good hand at all," she said with a giggle, setting her cards down face up. Finn couldn't help but laugh. She had a worse hand than he did.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were staring at me 'cause you like me," Rachel teased.

"Oh, please," Finn said with a smirk. "_I'm_ not the one who kissed _you_ last night. You kissed me last time I checked."

Rachel threw her head back in frustration. "Here we go again!" she groaned. "I was drunk, Finn! You can't hold that against me!"

"I'm not holding anything against you," Finn said quickly. "That's just my evidence that _you_ like _me_. I didn't see you making out with anyone else at the bar last night."

Rachel glared at him. "These comments of yours are practically sexual harassment," she said stiffly, making Finn laugh. "It's not funny!" she said angrily. She then got up quickly and started stomping toward the bathroom.

"The more times you storm out, the less effective it gets," Finn said with a smirk, getting up and following right behind her.

She turned abruptly and faced him. "I storm out to get away from _you_! Just because we're stuck here together does not mean you can drive me insane with some convoluted idea that I like you!"

Without thinking, Finn bent down a little and shut Rachel up by bringing his lips to hers. He thought she was going to push him away, but he was wrong.

Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and molded herself to him. Finn grinned through the kiss for a few moments before wrapping his arms around her waist and picking her up. Rachel wrapped her arms around his midsection and Finn walked them over to the bed. He set her down gently, with his lips still attached to hers, and hovered over her.

Finn separated his lips from hers, only to attach them to her neck. Rachel was already breathless, and the noises she was making were getting Finn excited. He abandoned her neck and stepped back a bit, looking down at her.

Rachel smiled before grabbing his neck and pulling his lips to hers again. The intense kiss continued for a few seconds until Finn's hands started wandering. He started pulling her dress up, only to have her pull her lips from his. She put her hands on top of his and looked him in the eyes.

"We can't do that, Finn," Rachel said breathlessly.

"Why not?" he asked with a small frown.

"Well, for one, I'm not _that_ kind of girl. I've only known you for a couple of days. And secondly, you aren't sure about what you're feeling," Rachel explained. "You're stuck here with me and you have to put up with me, so it's only natural that we'd develop some sort of… _feelings_ for one another. But your feelings aren't real, Finn. As soon as this whole… situation is over and you're back at home, you'll forget all about me," Rachel insisted.

Finn smiled. "I don't think so," he said. He reached down and pecked her on the lips. "You might be embarrassed to admit it, Rach, but I'm not. I like you. And you're just going to have to get over it 'cause feelings like this don't just _go away_."

Rachel looked into his eyes and could tell that he really meant it. "I believe you," she said after a few moments. "But if it turns out that you're just this incredible actor and that you've been messing with me since you're just _bored_ and looking for something to do, I will demonstrate my self defense moves on you," Rachel warned.

Finn couldn't help but look down at this crazy, beautiful girl and laugh. "You have nothing to worry about, babe. I _really_ like you," Finn said firmly.

"Good," Rachel said with a wide smile. "Because I like you, too."

Finn smiled once again before their lips were attached once more.

-glee-glee-glee-

"Sing for me again," Finn asked as they lay on the bed. They hadn't gone any farther than making out, but for the both of them, it was plenty for now.

"What do you want me to sing?" Rachel asked. She was lying on Finn's chest as his hand lightly traced the contours of her arm again and again.

"Anything. I just need to hear you sing again," Finn answered. Rachel quietly cleared her throat before she started singing quietly.

_Smile though your heart is aching_

_Smile even though it's breaking_

_When there are clouds in the sky_

_You'll get by _

_If you smile through your pain and sorrow_

_Smile and maybe tomorrow_

_You'll see the sun come shining through for you_

"That was perfect," Finn said with a smile.

Rachel giggled. "I'm glad you approve," she said jokingly. Then her tone turned serious. "I sang that song every day for months after my dads died."

"Did it help?" Finn asked.

Rachel was quiet for a moment. "I like to think that it did," she said.

"I lost my dad, too," Finn admitted. "I mean, I was still a baby, so I don't remember him much. But it still makes me sad sometimes, you know? Kind of like I'm missing something." Rachel surprised him by hugging him tightly.

"I know exactly how you feel. I found my birth mother in high school and it turned out that she wanted nothing to do with me. But all along I felt like I was missing something. And maybe I still am, but there's really nothing we can do to fill the void," Rachel said.

"You're right," Finn agreed. "I just wonder if he's proud of me sometimes. I know my mom is. I mean, she tells me literally _all the time_, but I just wish I knew if he was."

"I'm sure he is," Rachel said firmly. "You're a good person, Finn. Even though you seem to enjoy pushing my buttons, I know you're still innately _good_. And you being a police officer is very respectable. And you do it for all the right reasons. Some people might think you're silly for saying you want to help people, but I don't think that's silly at all."

"Thanks, Rach," Finn said, kissing the top of her head.

"Anytime," Rachel said with a wide smile.

They lay there, holding each other, for what felt like an immeasurable amount of time.

Then they both jumped as they heard the shrill ringtone of the phone in Finn's pocket. Rachel sat up while Finn dug around, looking for the phone. He finally pulled it out and hit the green button during the third ring.

"Hello?" Finn said, sounding confused. This was the first the precinct had actually called the phone; usually, they just sent messages. "What? Are you sure?" Finn practically yelled into the phone. Rachel looked at him with worry and confusion clouding her features. "Yeah, I got it," Finn said before hanging up the phone with anger apparent on his face.

"What is it?" Rachel asked apprehensively. She grew even more worried when Finn jumped up and practically jogged over to the closet.

"We gotta go. Now. Nick's been spotted in the area," Finn said in a commanding tone. Rachel's stomach dropped, but she jumped off the bed almost quicker than humanly possible before helping Finn throw their belongings into a large duffel bag.

The sound of a gunshot made them both jump before they stared at each other in horror.

TBC

-glee-glee-glee-

A/N: Hope you guys are enjoying the story! Stay tuned for chapter three! Please read and review :)


	3. Unconventional Moving Day

A/N: I am completely BLOWN away by your response to this story! And you guys are the sweetest people ever for the comments you've left. I appreciate every single one of you :) And now, here's chapter three for you. Please continue to read and review!

Chapter Three: Unconventional Moving Day

Previously in Chapter Two….

_Then they both jumped as they heard the shrill ringtone of the phone in Finn's pocket. Rachel sat up while Finn dug around, looking for the phone. He finally pulled it out and hit the green button during the third ring. _

"_Hello?" Finn said, sounding confused. This was the first the precinct had actually called the phone; usually, they just sent messages. "What? Are you sure?" Finn practically yelled into the phone. Rachel looked at him with worry and confusion clouding her features. "Yeah, I got it," Finn said before hanging up the phone with anger apparent on his face. _

"_What is it?" Rachel asked apprehensively. She grew even more worried when Finn jumped up and practically jogged over to the closet. _

"_We gotta go. Now. Nick's been spotted in the area," Finn said in a commanding tone. Rachel's stomach dropped, but she jumped off the bed almost quicker than humanly possible before helping Finn throw their belongings into a large duffel bag. _

_The sound of a gunshot made them both jump before they stared at each other in horror. _

-glee-glee-glee-

"Is the door locked?" Rachel asked in a panic as she threw her and Finn's belongings into the duffel bag.

"Yes. It's always locked," Finn responded quickly, trying to keep his emotions in control. He could see Rachel's hands shaking as she stuffed his underwear into the bag. Any other time, he would have been embarrassed, but he had more pressing things on his mind.

Finn zipped up the bag and put it over Rachel's shoulder before he ran over to the bedside table. He opened the top drawer and pulled his gun out.

Rachel stood there in shock as he fiddled with the gun. She wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but she knew he was planning on using it if necessary.

"I didn't know you had that," she said in a small voice.

"I didn't want to worry you," Finn said in a detached voice. He walked over to her and grabbed her by the elbow, pulling her toward the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" Rachel asked. Once they were in the bathroom, Finn closed and locked the door.

"You're going out the window. Let's go," Finn said impatiently.

"What?" Rachel asked, sounding surprised.

"Climb out the window, Rach," Finn demanded. "We don't have time."

He reached behind her and opened the tiny window. He knew she'd fit.

"We're only on the first floor, Rach. It won't hurt," Finn promised. He grabbed the bag off of her shoulder and threw it out the window. They heard it land on the ground with a soft _thud_. "Come on," he said. He crouched down and linked his hands together. "Put your foot here and I'll help you."

Rachel still looked confused and surprised, but she did as she was told. Once Finn had her foot, she grabbed onto the window.

"On three. One, two, three," Finn said. At three, he pushed her foot upwards. Rachel went through the window with ease. He heard a low "Ouch!" when she landed. If he wasn't so terrified, he would have laughed.

"How are you going to get out?" Rachel asked while getting up. She stood on her tippy toes and tried to look through the window.

They both then heard a loud thudding noise, almost like someone was trying to break down the door. Finn looked in the direction of the door.

"I can't fit, Rach," Finn said after a moment. "You go run back to the bar and wait there for me behind the dumpster or something."

"No!" Rachel protested. "I'm not leaving you! Just… dislocate your shoulder or something and climb out!" she suggested desperately.

"Rachel. That won't work. You have to go," Finn said. "Just run and I'll meet you there."

They both heard the door to the apartment crash open. Rachel flinched. "Do you promise you'll come for me?" she asked quietly.

"I promise," she heard Finn say quietly yet firmly. "Run, Rach."

Rachel swallowed deeply before turning and picking the bag up.

Then she ran.

Finn watched as Rachel ran away. He felt like crying, but he knew he had to keep it together. If he didn't, he'd never see Rachel again.

Finn looked down at the gun again and checked to make sure it was ready to be fired before shutting the light off. He then put his ear to the door and listened. He heard what sounded like people throwing things around; it definitely sounded like more than one person was in the room. As he stood there, he started forming a plan in his mind.

He knew they would come and check the bathroom. He just had to wait…

Less than a minute later, Finn heard someone walking up to the bathroom door. He stepped away quietly and waited. The door opened and the light flickered on. The person stepped in the bathroom and Finn acted quickly. He raised his hand that was holding the gun and slammed the butt of the gun it into the guy's temple before he could even utter a word.

Finn watched as the large man fell, unconscious, into the bathroom.

"Morris?" a voice yelled. Finn jumped over the man and ran into the room. Before the second guy could even raise his gun, Finn lifted his hand and fired a shot.

With the accuracy of a police officer who has won tons of awards at the firing range, Finn hit the man in the kneecap, making him drop his gun and fall to the ground with a rather girly scream. Finn jogged over to him and kicked the gun away from him before running out the door.

As Finn ran toward the bar, he kept looking over his shoulder. But he _totally _had a right to be paranoid! He passed the main office to the motel; the door was wide open. Finn had a feeling that the motel owner was the victim of the gunshot he and Rachel heard earlier.

Finn was pretty sure that Nick would send other people to his dirty work, but he was _really_ glad that Nick sent idiots. But Finn was a little nervous about having to find a new place to stay. It only took Nick a couple of days to find them, so how far away would they have to go to stay safe?

Finn wasn't very winded when he finally made it to the bar. He looked behind him to make sure no one was following and then he ducked into the alley behind the bar. He was walking quietly, not wanting to startle Rachel. When he didn't hear anything – no sobbing, no accelerated breathing – he started to panic. Did they have a third guy that grabbed Rachel?

Before he could totally freak out, Finn stopped and took a deep breath. He wouldn't start losing his mind until he had to.

He continued walking down the long, dark alley. On his left was a dumpster. His steps quickened a bit as he walked toward it. Then, he saw her.

Rachel was sitting on the ground next to dumpster with her head in her hands. Finn reached down and placed a hand gently on her arm. What he wasn't expecting was for her fist to come flying at his face.

Her tiny fist felt like a wrecking ball as it came into contact with his nose. "Shit!" Finn yelled before covering his nose with his hands. His eyes had immediately started watering.

"Finn!" Rachel practically shouted. "I'm sorry!" she said while getting up. Finn paced back and forth a little, trying not to cry like a little girl. Rachel followed him back and forth, repeating "I'm so sorry!" over and over again.

He finally stopped pacing and stood still. "Are you okay?" Rachel asked worriedly.

He lowered his hands away from his face and looked to see that she had tears falling down her face as well. But _hers_ weren't from being socked in the nose.

"I'll be okay," Finn said, trying to sound stoic. Rachel jumped toward him and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"I'm glad you're okay," she said in a small voice. Finn hugged her back tightly before kissing her on top of the head.

"I told you I'd come for you," he said back with a tiny smile. "But since when do people throw punches when they're glad to see you?" he asked jokingly.

Rachel let go of him and slapped his chest lightly. "You scared the crap out of me!" she complained. "You could have at least said my name first or something. How was I supposed to know that you weren't grabbing me to kidnap me or something?"

"I didn't know you could punch so hard," Finn said, rubbing his nose delicately.

"I told you I've had self defense training, Finn. I wasn't joking," Rachel informed him seriously.

Finn chuckled. "I believe you," he said.

A sudden low crash from down the street made them both alert again.

"Okay, we gotta go now," Finn said. Rachel nodded before walking quickly back toward the dumpster and grabbing their bag of belongings. Finn grabbed it from her and slung it over his shoulder before grabbing her hand.

"Where are we going?" Rachel asked quickly.

"Just run for now and I'll answer your question later," Finn said.

Rachel laughed. "I knew you didn't have a plan," she said snootily. Finn rolled his eyes before he started running with Rachel at his side.

They ran from alley to alley, trying to put as much distance between him and those two assholes as possible. Well, he knew that the one guy would have a little trouble following them with that nice gunshot wound in his kneecap.

"Finn!" Rachel panted. They had been running for a good five minutes. "We've… got to stop!" she said breathlessly.

"We can't," Finn said shortly. The running was starting to get to him, too, but only a little. Finn was jerked backwards a little when Rachel came to a complete and total standstill. Finn turned to face her. Her cheeks were totally flushed and her chest was heaving.

"I can't… run… anymore," she panted.

Finn looked at her and realized that he couldn't convince her to run; she was too stubborn for that.

"Fine," he relented. "Let's take a break."

"Thank God!" Rachel huffed. She walked over to where some stairs were leading into a building and plopped down. "How are you… not even tired?" she questioned breathily.

Finn shrugged. "I run a lot. I kinda have to stay in shape for my job," he said.

"Well, my legs… are shorter than yours… so I had to move… them faster… to keep up," she said while taking deep breaths, trying to slow her frantic heart rate.

Finn smirked and sat next to her on the stair. Rachel leaned on Finn, placing her head on his shoulder. They sat there for a few minutes as Rachel's breathing slowed.

"Think of a plan yet?" she asked. She was no longer panting, but really didn't want to run anymore.

"I'm working on it," Finn said, nodding his head. Rachel rolled her eyes and sat up straight.

"I think we should cross the river again and get back into the city. Maybe we can stay somewhere near Times Square where there's tons of people. It'll be harder for him to find us," she suggested.

Finn looked down at her with a smile. "You're a genius," he said admirably. Rachel beamed at him before they both moved toward each other for a kiss. Finn felt all of his worry disappear when Rachel's lips were attached to his. She made him feel like everything would be okay. The more rational part of him was remembering that they still had someone wanting to kill them, so they couldn't really waste time making out.

Finn was the first to pull away. "I need to call the precinct. I'll ask them to call us a cab. I think I know where we are…" Finn reached into his pocket and pulled the phone out. Rachel covered his hand that was holding the phone, gaining his attention again. He looked up at her with confusion.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"I just need to ask you something…" Rachel said, sounding slightly nervous.

"Okay…?" Finn said confusedly.

Rachel took a deep breath before letting the question fall from her lips. "Are we boyfriend and girlfriend?" she asked, looking down in embarrassment.

She looked back up when she heard Finn chuckle. "What's so funny?" she demanded.

"I wasn't expecting you to ask that," he said with a shrug.

"Just answer the question," Rachel said impatiently.

Finn sat there for a moment. "If you want to be, we can be," he said simply.

Rachel smiled a little. "But do _you_ want to be?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said with a grin.

"Perfect," Rachel answered with a wide smile before pulling him forward by his shirt for another kiss.

Finn pulled away with a chuckle. "I could literally spend the rest of my life just kissing you, but there is still someone trying to kill us, babe," Finn informed her.

"Way to ruin the mood," Rachel said with a frown. Finn laughed once more before calling the precinct.

"Come on," Finn said minutes later after hanging up the phone. He got up and held his hand out toward Rachel.

"Where are we going?" she asked before grabbing his hand and standing up.

"The cab's picking us up two blocks from here," Finn said.

"Please tell me we're not running," Rachel groaned.

Finn smiled. "We can walk," he said, making Rachel smile up at him.

As they walked down the street, passersby couldn't have guessed that Finn and Rachel were trying to get away from people that wanted them dead. Finn and Rachel just looked like a boyfriend and girlfriend (which they were!) just taking a nighttime stroll.

When they got to the place where the cab was supposed to arrive, Rachel noticed a drug store right behind them.

"You stay here and wait for the cab. I have to grab some things from the store," Rachel said, pointing behind her.

"I'll come with you," Finn offered quickly.

"It's fine," Rachel said. "Just wait for the cab." Finn could tell that something was up with Rachel, but he just did as he was told.

Rachel walked into the store, remembering that she had plenty of money still in the pocket of her dress. She had recalled that they left most of their bathroom necessities back at the motel, so she grabbed some shampoo and conditioner (the same brand that her and Finn had agreed on before) and two packs of razors. She would have totally been fine with sharing some of Finn's, but he was adamant that sharing razors was gross. She also grabbed some more face wash and other things she and Finn would need in the days to come.

Rachel then walked down an aisle that she wasn't very comfortable with. On both sides of her were condoms. She was a little nervous at taking this step with Finn, but she couldn't deny her feelings for him anymore. And after tonight, she was worried that they might not have as much time together as they thought. She usually didn't move this quickly in realtionships, but she wanted to make love with him while they still had the chance. You never know what can happen tomorrow, after all.

She wasn't quite sure of the _size_ of Finn's… you know… so she just grabbed one box of every size, remembering that she had enough money for it. And they kind of needed them since she _really_ shouldn't get pregnant at this point in time.

When she went to pay for the items, a teenage boy was working at the register. She put her items down and waited for them to be scanned. She watched as he scanned the condoms; he had a very crude smile on his face, which made Rachel feel like getting sick.

He told her the total and Rachel handed the money over quickly, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. He gave Rachel back her change. She grabbed the two bags and went back outside in a hurry.

When she walked out, the cab was there and Finn was leaning on the door with a smile.

"Got everything?" he asked.

"I think so," Rachel said with a nod.

"Let's go then," Finn said, opening the door for Rachel. She smiled at him before climbing into the cab.

"What did you buy?" Finn asked, trying to peek in the bags.

"Nothing," Rachel said quickly. "Just some shampoo and stuff we need."

"Oh," Finn said. "Good thinking."

Rachel blushed a little. "Thanks," she said quietly.

She was suddenly nervous and starting questioning if she was doing the right thing or not. But literally a second later, Finn grabbed her hand in intertwined their fingers. The butterflies that Rachel got from this simple gesture convinced her that making love with Finn would definitely be the right thing to do.

-glee-glee-glee-

Finn directed the taxi cab driver to a hotel that was exactly a block away from Times Square. Rachel handed the money over while Finn got out and grabbed their duffel bag out of the trunk. Then Rachel got out of the cab with the bags from the store.

"This seems better than the last one," Finn said, looking up at the hotel.

"Definitely," Rachel agreed with a smile.

They walked in the room and were happy to see that it was remarkably nicer than the motel they previously stayed in. Rachel walked in first and Finn was close behind her. After closing the door, he immediately locked it.

"Do you think we should unpack?" Rachel asked, setting her bags down on the bed.

Finn thought for a moment. "Maybe just hang up your dresses. We can keep everything else in the bag in case we have to leave quickly again…" he said quietly. Him and Rachel coming close to being killed tonight was still deeply bothering him.

"Good thinking," Rachel said just as quietly.

"What do you want to do for dinner?" Finn asked. "I was thinking we could just order pizza. I can get half with just sauce since you're a vegan."

Rachel smiled up at him for remembering. "That would be great," she said. Finn set the duffel bag down on the bed before walking over to the side of the bed where a phone was sitting on the table.

"We've got our own phone this time," Finn said with a smirk, making Rachel giggle. Rachel hung her dresses up in the closet while Finn was ordering the pizza; she was slightly preoccupied with thoughts about how exactly she should approach Finn and ask if he wants to have sex with her. Things like sexual intimacy weren't very common for Rachel Berry and she was pretty darn sure that she didn't know how to be _sexy_.

Rachel had only ever had one boyfriend before Finn. Sure, they had sex, but it wasn't quite like she imagined it. Her boyfriend at the time made sure he was satisfied and Rachel just kind of… laid there. Sure, it felt good, but her boyfriend didn't go out of his way to make sure Rachel was actually enjoying herself. That being said, Rachel wasn't quite sure what sex with Finn would be like. For her, that was slightly terrifying.

Before Finn could see what she purchased, Rachel took the bags into the bathroom after telling Finn that she was just putting the things away. He was lying on the bed, watching some television show on basic cable. Their last motel didn't have a television, so Finn was pretty excited. And he was distracted, so Rachel could sit in the bathroom and psych herself up for having sex.

Should she just walk up to him with the condoms and ask to have sex? Should she hide them somewhere and send him on a scavenger hunt? Should she just forget about the whole thing before she made a fool out of herself?

Rachel decided against the last option. She had a feeling that Finn wouldn't make fun of her for anything. After all, he was one of the few people she had ever met that could actually tolerate her for an extended period of time. And he liked her. He was her boyfriend now. And she liked him, too.

She took a seat on the edge of the bathtub as she realized that saying she "liked" him didn't feel like enough. But was it love already? She didn't really have any friends around that she could talk to about this, but she had never felt this way about anyone before. Not even her first boyfriend. When Rachel left Finn in that motel room, she was physically in pain thinking that this could be the last time she ever saw him. And when he touched her, she felt all giggly and bubbly. And even thought they got on each other's nerves the majority of the time, she always wanted to be around him.

Rachel was starting to think that Finn running into her car may have been a blessing in disguise.

Well, the part with the homicidal maniac chasing them wasn't really part of that blessing, but Rachel would take what she could get. And she knew if it came down to it, he would fight for her and she would fight for him. Knowing that she would fight for him helped her make up her mind.

She loved him.

Now, she just had to see if he felt the same.

But should she tell him she loved him? That might put him under pressure to say it back and he might say it but not mean it. And Rachel didn't want him to say that he loved her if he didn't really feel it. So, she would just go with the flow and see how things went. But she was positive about her feelings.

And she totally had a plan to show him that she was ready for sex. She left the condoms in the bag and put it in the cabinet under the sink before walking back out into the main room.

"Does it stink in there?" Finn asked nonchalantly from the bed.

"What?" Rachel asked in confusion. And then it clicked. "Ew! No, Finn! That's not what I was doing!"

"You were in there for like fifteen minutes. What were you doing then?" Finn asked.

"Thinking," Rachel answered simply. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to Finn.

"What were you thinking about?" Finn asked.

"Nothing important, really," Rachel said, shrugging her shoulders.

Finn smiled a little. "Well, if you want to tell me anything, I'm listening," he said.

"Maybe later," Rachel replied.

Ten minutes later, the pizza had arrived. She wasn't very hungry, so she only ate one piece, but Finn finished off his entire half.

"How in the world do you eat so much?" Rachel asked exasperatedly.

"I'm a healthy, growing boy," Finn said with a shrug.

"You should stop growing," Rachel said with a giggle. "You're already _overgrown_. You make me feel like a munchkin." Finn chuckled at her before turning his attention back to the television.

"Do you mind if I use one of your t-shirts for pajamas?" she asked moments later.

"Help yourself," Finn said with his eyes still on the television. Rachel got up and went over to their duffel bag to pull out a t-shirt. She walked into the bathroom barefoot, suddenly feeling nervous. _I don't know how to be sexy_, she thought to herself.

Rachel ignored that depressing thought and put Finn's t-shirt on. She left her bra off. She then went under the sink and grabbed the bag with the three boxes of condoms. She was almost positive that Finn would laugh over her needing to buy three boxes.

Rachel looked at herself in the mirror. "You love him," she said quietly. "You can do this." She smiled at herself before walking back out of the bathroom with the bag behind her back. Finn was still watching television and he didn't look up when she walked back in the room.

"Finn," Rachel said, trying to get his attention.

"Yeah, babe?" Finn said, still looking at the TV.

"Can we talk about something?" Rachel asked, sounding nervous. "It's important." Finn looked up at her, wondering what she wanted to talk about.

"Is everything okay?" Finn asked, sitting up.

Rachel smiled. "Yes," she said. "I just wanted to talk about what happened tonight…"

"Oh," Finn said, his face falling. "Pretty intense, huh?" he asked.

"That's definitely an understatement," Rachel said, nodding.

"Are you upset?" Finn asked, sounding a little worried. "I'm sure we're safe here. For a while at least. And I won't let anything happen to you. You know that."

Rachel looked up at him and smiled again. "I know. I trust you," she said firmly. "I was just… terrified when I left you earlier. I didn't know if I would ever see you again and it just hurt so much. The force of that pain surprised me. And it just made me realize how much I care about you."

Finn smiled. "I care about you too, Rach," he said.

"I know you do. But I was just thinking that I should give you something to show you how much I care," Rachel said. She started walking toward him. "Tonight also showed me that you're never sure of how much time you have left. And I just want to _live _while I have the chance."

Finn swallowed hard. "W-What are you talking about, Rach?" he asked. By the time she stopped walking, she was standing right in front of him. With a small smile, she pulled the bag out from behind her back and held it out in front of him.

"What's this?" Finn asked.

"Just look," Rachel said impatiently. Finn grabbed the bag from her and looked inside. His head snapped up so quickly that Rachel would have thought he got whiplash.

"Are you sure?" he asked nervously. Rachel nodded.

"Like I said, I just want to show you how much I care about you," Rachel said. Finn's blank face turned into a wide smile before he grabbed Rachel around the waist and pulled her onto the bed, making her giggle.

Seconds later, his lips were on hers. He kissed her frantically, like they only had seconds left to live. Sometimes, it sure felt that way.

They undressed each other so quickly that they almost didn't remember doing it. Finn looked down at a naked Rachel with awe.

"You are so damn beautiful," he said. Rachel smiled sweetly before cupping his cheek and kissing him tenderly. He pulled away from her moments later to grab one of the boxes of condoms. "And for future reference, always get the biggest ones," he said with a wink.

Rachel giggled again, loving the way he was making her feel.

With the condom on, Finn hovered over Rachel and just looked at her for a few moments.

"I love you," he said abruptly, catching both him and her off guard. But he knew that he totally meant it.

"Are-are you sure?" Rachel asked, looking into his eyes. "I mean, it hasn't been very long that we've known each other, you know..."

Finn smiled widely. "Absolutely," he announced proudly.

"That's strange," Rachel said with a smile.

"Why?" Finn asked with confusion written all over his face.

"Because I love you, too. But I was going to say it first," Rachel said.

"Looks like I beat you to it," Finn said with a grin. Before Rachel could respond, Finn pressed his lips to hers again. They kissed while he pushed into her for the first time. Warmth spread throughout both of their bodies at this physical connection. They weren't just having sex. They were making love.

TBC

-glee-glee-glee-

A/N: And there it is! But we've still got a little while to go before this story is over, so stay tuned! I have classes and homework, but I'll update as soon as I can :) Thanks so much for reading and reviewing so far, but please continue doing it! You're all amazing.


	4. Self Defense

A/N: You guys are so awesome! I've gotten so many favorite story and author alerts for this fanfic! And I've also gotten more reviews for this story than any of my other ones! I'm so glad that you like it :) So here's the next chapter! Please keep reading and reviewing! It's greatly appreciated.

Chapter Four: Self-Defense

Rachel Berry woke up the next morning, feeling like she had slept for a very long time. She knew that she was lying on Finn's chest – since beds didn't breathe – and she felt his arm around her. She couldn't help but smile with her eyes still closed, remembering how insanely perfect last night was.

They had made love twice; Finn was ready for more, but Rachel felt completely exhausted. That day had been stressful enough, and Rachel was pretty surprised that she had enough energy to have sex at all!

Rachel knew that they had yet another day ahead of them; this day would probably be filled with more boredom, a little worry, and maybe even some more love making. What Rachel really wished she could do was go out on a public date with her boyfriend, but she knew that they had to be responsible now. Things were so close to turning for the worse last night and she didn't want to run the risk of being almost killed again.

And she never wanted to be separated from Finn like that again, not knowing if he was alive or not. So, they had to stick to the hotel room and only leave if absolutely necessary. If they left the room too much, they could run the risk of being spotted by Nick or one of his little thugs. Rachel wasn't sure how many connections Nick had in the city and that thought made her nervous. Now she was going to be a paranoid mess whenever they did leave the room.

Not wanting to ruin the morning after a perfect night with Finn, Rachel stopped thinking about all things deadly and dangerous and opened her eyes. She tilted her head upwards and was surprised to see that Finn was awake, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey, you," Rachel said quietly.

Finn looked down at her and smiled widely. "Good morning, gorgeous," Finn said happily. Rachel blushed a little.

"How are you feeling?" Rachel asked, hoping that he wasn't harboring any regrets for last night. She sure wasn't.

"I feel like I can sleep a little longer," Finn said, chuckling. "What about you?"

"Right at this moment, I feel perfect," she said quietly, lying her head back down on Finn's chest. She felt him tighten his arm around her and kiss her on her head.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Finn asked.

Rachel thought for a moment. "How about we just lie here and never move again?" she asked, snuggling into Finn's broad chest some more.

Finn laughed. "That sounds awesome," he replied.

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel wished they could have spent the rest of the day in bed, but they were low on food. Well, except for the pizza from last night, they didn't have _any_ food.

"Are you sure it's safe to leave?" Rachel asked after stepping out of the bathroom. Her hair was still damp from her shower she had gotten earlier.

"I think we'll be okay, Rach," Finn said, sliding his shoes on. "We're near the middle of Times Square and there's a whole foods store practically right down the street from here. We should be safe. And if we're not…" Finn got up and walked over to the duffel bag and pulled out his gun. He put it in the waistband of his shorts and pulled his shirt down over it.

"You would use that in public?" Rachel asked, sounding shocked.

"If I had to, I would," Finn said honestly. "But you don't need to worry. I'm a cop, remember? I know when to shoot and when not to shoot and I have pretty awesome aim." He walked over to Rachel and kissed her on the forehead. "You have nothing to worry about."

Rachel nodded, not really believing him. There was a maniac trying to kill them; she had plenty to worry about. Finn walked in the bathroom but left the door open, so Rachel followed him. He was about to squeeze toothpaste on his toothbrush when Rachel asked him something that had been bothering her all morning.

"Finn? Did you have to shoot anyone last night?" she asked timidly. She looked up and saw that he had frozen with the tube of toothpaste in one hand and the toothbrush in another.

"Yes," he answered after a few moments.

"Did you kill them?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"No, babe," Finn said. "I don't kill people if I have another option."

Rachel took a deep breath before asking the next question. "Have you killed someone before?" she asked, fearing the answer.

Finn set down the items in his hands and turned to face her. "Almost. Once. It scared the crap out of me. I had just gotten out of the academy. It was my first burglary call and I got a gun pulled on me. I reacted the way I should have, by shooting the guy, but it still scared me."

Rachel looked down and nodded.

"Why do you want to know?" Finn asked.

"I think you should teach me how to use a gun," she said as firmly as she could.

"What for?" Finn asked, turning back toward the sink.

"Last night got me thinking… What if something happened to you and I had to defend you or myself and what if my only option was using a gun? I don't know how and in a situation like this, I think that should be something I know how to do…" Rachel said.

She heard Finn take a deep breath. She waited a few moments for his response.

"You're right," he eventually said.

"I am?" Rachel said, sounding shocked. "I thought you'd say it was too dangerous!"

"Well, it is, but you're right. I might not always be there to protect you. There's too many things that could happen. And while thinking of you holding a gun scares the crap out of me, you should know how to use one," Finn explained. "We'll go to the shooting range this afternoon. The sooner the better."

Rachel nodded. "Is it weird that I find this a little scary?" she asked, sounding slightly embarrassed.

"No," Finn said quickly, turning to look at her. "I'm scared every time I pick mine up. It's definitely not something to take lightly."

"You're right. But just out of curiosity… who do you think will be a better shot?" Rachel asked, feeling the competitiveness starting to sink in. Even though it involved using a deadly weapon, Rachel Berry hated to lose.

"Me. No question," Finn answered quickly and smugly.

"We'll see about that, Mr. Hudson," Rachel said indignantly, storming out of the bathroom. As soon as she was out of earshot, Finn had to laugh.

-glee-glee-glee-

"I hope you know how to cook this. I'm definitely not touching this without the wrapper," Rachel said, tossing the pack of bacon into the mini-fridge. They had just gotten back from the grocery store with their purchases.

"I've lived on my own since I was eighteen, Rach. I think I can cook bacon on my own. Plus, this is the microwaveable kind," Finn answered with a smirk.

"Good," Rachel said happily. "But you're washing the plate. My dads ate bacon and I know how gross and greasy it is."

Finn chuckled. "How much fruit did you have to buy, Rach?" Finn asked. He was emptying the bags of food as she put it away. So far she had a pack of blueberries, peaches, strawberries, apples, watermelon slices, and a couple of other things that he had never seen before but assumed were fruits.

"Fruit is very good for you, Finn," Rachel said like she was talking to a three year old. "And it was really the only thing we could afford right now. It was cheaper than buying stir fry or something like that."

"Whatever you say, babe," Finn said. He just couldn't imagine not eating meat. It was its own food group, so he was pretty sure that it was like a rule that you had to eat it. But Rachel didn't like it and he really didn't want to start an argument over their dietary needs.

A couple of minutes later, the majority of the food was put away. Rachel used a plastic knife and had started making herself a fruit salad while Finn made himself a couple peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"Here, try this," Rachel said, holding up a piece of fruit. Finn stepped toward her and she popped it into his mouth.

Three seconds after chewing, Finn went over to the garbage can and spit it out. "What the _hell _was that?" Finn asked.

"It's pomegranate, Finn," Rachel said, rolling her eyes. "It's good for you."

"It's disgusting," Finn countered. "I think I'll stick to meat and stuff."

"I'll find a way to get you to eat more healthily," Rachel said confidently, throwing the pieces of pomegranate into a Styrofoam bowl.

Finn didn't answer but rolled his eyes. He'd rather eat dirt than pomegranate ever again.

An hour after their lunches were eaten, Rachel reminded Finn for the _third time_ that they still had to go to the shooting range.

"I know, Rach," Finn said aggravatedly. He was lounging on the bed, watching television again. "I haven't forgotten."

"Finn, I don't want to just sit here and waste the entire day!" Rachel said impatiently.

"Why the hell do you want to go so badly?" Finn asked angrily, sitting up. "It's like you're excited to learn how to kill someone the right way or something!"

Rachel glared at him. "That's not it at all! Sorry that I'm sitting here _scared as hell_ that at any minute Nick's going to come through that door and _kill_ us! This isn't fun and games for me, Finn! This is me not wanting to _die!_" when she was finished yelling at him, her chest was heaving. She was so scared and irritated and angry all at the same time.

Finn stood there with his mouth open for a second, at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry, Rach," Finn said after a few moments. "I'll call a cab."

-glee-glee-glee-

"Spread your legs a little. You need to stay balanced," Finn said from behind Rachel. They were at the shooting range and she was absolutely terrified with having a gun in her hand. Sure, it could help her protect herself, but could she actually kill someone?

Rachel spread her legs for balance and picked up the gun aiming it straight in front of her. The earplugs she was wearing were a bit annoying, but Finn insisted that she had to wear them; guns were pretty loud when you were the one shooting them. She also had goggles on, which were less annoying than the earplugs, but Finn insisted again that she needed them. She tried to tell him that she wouldn't be wearing either in the real world, but she let him have his way.

"When you're ready, fire the gun. But hold it tightly 'cause it kicks back a little," Finn instructed. He didn't like the idea of Rachel having to use the gun; that would mean that he wouldn't be around to help her. He had to shake those thoughts away and remind himself that this was something she _needed _to know. Even if he didn't survive this, she had to.

Rachel took a deep breath before closing one eye. She aimed the gun at the chest of the fake man on the piece of paper all the way across the shooting range. She held her breath as she fired. The gun did jerk backwards a little, catching her off guard. She set it down quickly, not quite liking the feeling of it. She turned to face Finn, who was staring at the piece of paper across the room.

"What?" she asked in confusion.

"Look where you shot," Finn said, pointing. Rachel turned and saw that there was a bullet hole square in the chest of the target.

"Wow," Rachel said, slightly surprised by her aim. "I was only joking earlier about being a better shot. Now it kind of looks like I am."

She turned back to Finn and saw him looking at her disbelievingly. "It's just beginner's luck," Finn insisted. "Bet you can't do it again," he said confidently.

But she did.

Again and again and again until the gun was out of bullets.

"Holy shit," Finn said, sounding slightly dazed.

"We totally should have placed bets on this," Rachel said with a smile.

"What? Now you like firing a gun?" Finn asked.

"No. I just think that it's comforting knowing that I'll be able to hurt someone before they hurt me. Or you," she said quietly. Finn stepped forward and kissed her on the forehead.

"You're right," he said with a smirk. "Looks like we have nothing to worry about. Rachel Berry's going to save everyone with her uncanny precision."

Rachel giggled. "I don't know about _that_," she said modestly.

She stood there and watched as Finn fired the gun. She couldn't help but think that he looked kind of… hot. He was tall, strong, handsome, and totally capable of protecting both him and her. The fact that he loved someone like _her_ was slightly mindboggling.

Once he was done firing the weapon, he turned the safety back on and placed it down. Then, he hit a button on the wall which brought his target toward him. Rachel watched as it came closer and closer. Most of his shots were toward the middle, but two of them were a little bit away from the center of the target.

"Who would have guessed that a tiny, aspiring Broadway performer would beat a police officer at his own game?" Rachel said smugly.

Finn shrugged. "It doesn't really bother me," he said nonchalantly. "But when this whole thing's over, I'm totally introducing you to some of my cop buddies. We're bringing them here and betting on you beating them." Finn smiled widely at her.

"You want to _con_ police officers?" Rachel asked, sounding shocked.

"It sounds so bad when you say it like that," Finn said with a chuckle. "I just think my girlfriend's even hotter now." He stepped closer to her and placed his hands on either side of her waist, pulling her closer.

"You're looking pretty sexy, too," Rachel said with a smile. It was a pretty strange place for it, but Finn and Rachel bent towards each other and their lips met sweetly.

-glee-glee-glee-

"Oh, God! Just shut up already!" Finn moaned as they walked through the door to their room.

"Don't tell me to shut up!" Rachel shouted. She slammed the door behind her. "You were the one that started this!"

"You just expect me to _sit _there while someone flirts with my girlfriend?" Finn shouted incredulously.

"He was not _flirting_," Rachel said indignantly.

"He asked if you were single!" Finn shouted.

"He was just making conversation, Finn. You were unreasonably rude to him," Rachel said with a look of disapproval.

"All I did was call him a prick!" Finn yelled.

"And that was rude!" Rachel yelled back.

"You wanna know why me being mean to him bothers you so much?" Finn shouted. "You _liked _it! You wanna be an actress, right? You _love_ people staring at you and giving you attention! Did you like that other guy messing with you at the bar? He was giving you attention, right?"

"I can't believe you would even say that!" Rachel yelled. "I turned him down for _you_, remember? _You_ were the one I kissed in the street minutes later! Not him!"

"That still doesn't mean you didn't like it!" Finn yelled. "That's how all you attention whores act!" Rachel froze and glared at him.

"You have a nice night here by yourself, Finn," Rachel spat. She started to walk toward the door.

"Rach, where are you going?" Finn asked, slightly calmer.

She turned around with an icy stare. "I'm going to go get as much attention as I can from every man in New York since I like it so much," she said angrily. She turned back around and put her hand on the doorknob.

"Come on, Rach. Don't go," Finn said, instantly regretting his words. "I was just mad. I didn't mean it."

"It's too late for that, Finn," Rachel said. She pulled the door open and slammed it shut behind her. Finn was going to follow her, but he felt frozen there, realizing how badly he just screwed up.

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel walked down the streets of New York City. It was starting to get dark, but the city showed no signs of slowing down.

She had been walking for a while now, trying to get rid of her anger and hurt. Sure, Rachel liked it when she was on stage, performing. She absolutely _loved_ when people clapped for her and truly appreciated her talent. Granted, she hadn't received a standing ovation since high school, but she knew that she would get to relive that experience sometime in her life. Rachel Berry needed applause to live. Like Tinkerbell.

But for Finn to insist that she loved attention from men hurt pretty badly. She wasn't one to stray in a relationship; she stayed honest and devoted and faithful to the person she was with. And Rachel didn't think that the cab driver was really _flirting_ with her. He was just trying to be one of those nice, nosy people that tell you their whole life story within five minutes of meeting you. He seemed nice, but Finn was her boyfriend and she wasn't attracted to the cab driver _at all_.

Rachel still loved Finn; he just had a terrible temper and could be really mean without even realizing it. She knew that it wouldn't take either of them very much longer to cool down at that they would apologize to one another soon. She couldn't stay mad at him. The first reason was because she loved him and she was pretty sure that you could forgive your first real true love for anything. The second reason was because they had to live together and that would make things too awkward.

There was still a fairly large amount of people walking up and down the sidewalks; it was just around the time when everyone got off work.

That's why Rachel was sure that she was seeing things when she thought she spotted Nick walking down the street toward her.

She closed her eyes for a second before opening them back up and focusing again. Her gaze landed on the sickeningly familiar face.

It was Nick. And he had two huge guys with him.

Suddenly in a panic, Rachel ducked quickly into a store, praying to God and Jesus and Buddha and whoever else would listen, that Nick hadn't seen her.

She spotted a payphone on the wall near the entrance and reached into her pocket. "Damn!" she whispered. She didn't have any cash on her; it was all in their room. But she did have Finn's credit card. Crossing her fingers, she went up to the cashier. Rachel pulled out some of her impeccable acting skills and made it seem like she was calmer than she really was.

"Hi," Rachel said pleasantly to the cashier. "I really need to make an urgent phone call but I only have a credit card on me. Is there any way that you can help me?" The young woman smiled at Rachel.

"Sure," she said. "Just buy something and I'll add an extra fifty cents for the phone call and we can charge it on your credit card. I'll give you the change."

"Thank you so much," Rachel said happily. "You're a life saver." Rachel grabbed Finn's favorite candy bar – a Snickers – and handed it over to the cashier.

Rachel made the transaction and was handed fifty cents. "Have a great night," the woman said.

"Thanks. I will," Rachel said with a smile. _If I live that long,_ Rachel thought to herself.

She put the money into the payphone and hit "0" to dial the operator.

"The McKinley Hotel, please," she said to the operator. She waited as the call connected and a hotel employee answered. "Can you please connect me to Room 105?"

Rachel waited as the phone rang. It rang twice and Rachel was starting to worry that Finn wouldn't answer.

Then, on the last ring, he did.

"Hello?" he said warily.

"Finn! It's Rachel," she said.

"Rach! I was so worried! Where the hell are you?" he asked.

"I'm at a store on Ninth Street. I saw Nick, Finn," she said in a low voice.

"What?" he practically yelled into the phone. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm positive. I don't think he saw me, but I'm scared to walk back on my own," she said quietly. "I'm so sorry for leaving again."

"We'll talk when we get back to the room. Just stay in the store. I'm on my way. Keep an eye out for me," Finn said, sounding slightly rushed.

"I will. I love you," Rachel said.

"I love you too, babe," Finn said. She could hear the smile in his voice and it made her smile as well. Then the line went dead.

So now, she just had to wait.

-glee-glee-glee-

It felt like she had been waiting forever, but Rachel only had to wait ten minutes before she spotted Finn walking quickly down the street. She smiled before walking out of the store. Finn spotted her immediately and smiled. She found herself walking quickly toward him, too.

"I'm so sorry," she said once she was in his arms.

"Don't worry about it," Finn said, hugging her tightly. "I'm just glad that you're alright."

"That definitely could have ended badly," she said. Finn let go of her and looked down at her hand.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing at the candy bar.

"Oh. I had to buy this to get change for the payphone," she said. She handed it to him. "It's your favorite."

Finn chuckled. "Thanks, babe," he said. "Now let's get back to the room before someone tries to kill us."

"Sounds like a plan," she said.

Both her and Finn were on high alert on the way back to the hotel. They kept looking around them, feeling paranoid that they'd turn the corner and run right into Nick.

They were both highly relieved when they walked into their hotel room, unscathed. Finn locked the door before turning back to Rachel. She sat down on the edge of the bed and he joined her.

"I think I need to start by apologizing for what I said earlier. It was really mean and I shouldn't have said it," Finn said. "I just kinda get word vomit and say stupid stuff without thinking first."

"Trust me, I know," Rachel said with a small smile. "And I forgive you. But I also need to apologize for storming out _yet again_. I realize now that doing something like that is too dangerous at a time like this. I'll be sure to just lock myself in the bathroom the next time we argue."

"Good," Finn said with a chuckle. "I really was worried." He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him.

"Again, I'm sorry," Rachel said, sounding slightly ashamed. "I know how stressed you are already and it was irresponsible of me to add to that."

"Don't worry about it, babe," Finn insisted. "You're here now. And you're safe and not pissed at me. That's all that matters."

Rachel smiled. "You're right. But I still think we should relieve some stress. It'll be good for both of us," she said with a smile.

Finn smirked. "What did you have in mind?" he asked, inching his head closer and closer to hers.

Their lips touched. "I think you know exactly what I have in mind," Rachel whispered into his lips. She ran a hand down his chest slowly, getting closer and closer to the growing bulge in his pants.

"Totally," Finn whispered back. He and Rachel laid down on the bed with their lips still connected. Then they reenacted last night's epic lovemaking.

-glee-glee-glee-

TBC

A/N: I personally love it when Finn and Rachel bicker. And the run in with Nick in this chapter was pretty close, but that's nothing compared to what's coming up! Stay tuned, guys and girls! And please keep reading and reviewing! I have tons of homework and studying to do, but the next chapter should be up within the next couple of days!


	5. Fighter

A/N: I'm still so happy that you guys are enjoying the story so much! It's so cool that the ideas in my head are considered entertaining rather than strange. Please keep reading and reviewing. And I still don't own anything!

Chapter Five: Fighter

"Ouch…" Rachel whined while lying on the bed. She was holding her lower stomach, trying to use some psychological trick to convince herself that she wasn't cramping. So far it wasn't working and she and Finn didn't have any pain reliever in the hotel room.

"Does your stomach still hurt, babe?" Finn asked moments later, walking into the room from the bathroom.

"It's not a stomachache. I'm cramping," she complained.

"Oh," Finn said awkwardly. "Are you on your… _you know_…"

Rachel giggled. "You can say it, Finn. Period. Menstrual cycle. Hell, you can even ask me if I'm on _the rag_! Just don't be afraid to say it. It's just a word," she said amusedly.

"Right," Finn said slowly. "So are you on your _period_?"

"No. I'm just one lucky girl who gets PMS for an entire week before my actual period starts," Rachel said. "I get one week of period symptoms and then another week of the actual period."

"Cranky Rachel for two whole weeks. Great," Finn said sarcastically.

Rachel couldn't help but smile. "I've actually heard that I'm more pleasant to be around while on my period, Finn," Rachel said. "But if I get really, really mad, you better watch out."

"I appreciate the warning," Finn said chuckling. Rachel smiled widely. "So do you want to stay here and I can just go to the Laundromat?" he asked.

"If you don't mind," Rachel said. "I'm pretty tired."

"It's no big deal," Finn said. "I've been doing my own laundry for a pretty long time. I think I can handle it."

"That's good to know. I don't plan on being some girl from the 50s doing all of the chores at home and things like that. I'm going to be working, too. Whenever I actually get a job that is," Rachel said, frowning a little.

Finn sat down on the edge of the bed. "You just gotta be a little more patient, babe. When all this shit's over, you'll get to audition again. If they think you're not right for a part, I'm sure someone will write you your own part one day. You're more than awesome enough for that," he said firmly.

"Do you really believe in me that much?" Rachel asked, sitting up.

"More," Finn said with a smirk.

Rachel smiled and leaned forward, pulling Finn in for a kiss.

They separated and Rachel spoke up. "And I personally think that you've already made a difference in the world, but I just know that you'll continue doing that," Rachel said with a smile. "Your mom has a right to gloat about you."

Finn smirked again. "I think she'll love you," he said.

"I hope so!" Rachel said excitedly. "And I just know that my dads would have absolutely _adored_ you. Well, they didn't really like my first boyfriend; he wasn't really a great guy, to be honest, and I think they knew that before I did… But you're so amazing that I know they would have loved you."

"That's good to know," Finn said with a wide smile. "But I definitely would have liked to meet the people that raised you. I have some questions I would have liked to ask."

"You're wondering how I turned out to be so insane, right?" Rachel said with a smile.

"I wouldn't call you _insane_," Finn said, chuckling.

"What would you call me then?" Rachel asked curiously.

"How about I go to the Laundromat before I get yelled at for saying the wrong thing?" Finn proposed.

"Good answer," Rachel said with a bright smile.

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel couldn't stop smiling after Finn left; he had shouted that he loved her as he went out the door; she yelled it back, meaning every word. She was still in complete and total disbelief that she was able to find Finn under these circumstances. Who would have ever thought that a fender bender would have introduced her to the man she was going to fall in love with?

Granted, the situation also led to them being chased by some mob family member that wanted them dead, but she would suffer through this as long as it meant that she could be with Finn.

Rachel really did feel exhausted. She and Finn were up most of the night, making love. She didn't regret staying up most of the night, but now she was dealing with her PMS symptoms, which included feeling very, very tired. All in all, Rachel needed a nap. Before she could get too comfortable on the bed, she heard someone messing with the door.

Figuring it was Finn, Rachel got up and walked toward the door, wondering what he could have possibly forgotten. When she was five feet away from it, it crashed open. A small scream escaped Rachel's lips as she realized it wasn't Finn.

Two large men were standing at the door with looks of accomplishment and anger on their faces. Rachel immediately started stepping backwards away from them, trying to keep as much space as possible between them.

"Where's the cop?" one of the men asked. Rachel put on her brave face even though she was absolutely terrified.

"He's not here. He left a couple of days ago," she said firmly, still keeping her distance.

"You're lying," he accused.

"No. I'm not. Look around. None of his things are here," Rachel said. She was truly grateful that Finn took all of his things to wash. The speaker snapped his fingers at the other man, who instantly started searching the room.

"You're going to have to come with us," the guy who appeared to be in charge said.

"I don't think so," Rachel said with venom in her voice. She stopped when the back of her legs hit the bedside table. One of her hands immediately started feeling around on the table for something she could use as a weapon. That's when she remembered that Finn took the gun with him.

She'd have to improvise.

"She's right, Pat. None of his stuff's here," the second man said. Rachel looked over to him and saw that the closet was open and so were the dresser drawers. They were all empty.

"See? I told you. I haven't seen him in a couple of days," Rachel said smugly.

"Well, I know you're lying about that. The both of you were spotted together last night," Pat said, stepping closer to Rachel. Rachel's hand came into contact with something that was in the shape of a pen. She saw a movie once where a guy used a pen as a weapon, so she could, too.

"Fine," Rachel sighed dramatically yet believably. "We fought last night and he left me. Are you happy?" she almost yelled. She let a few tears form, knowing that she had to sell this. They couldn't know that Finn was close to here. He was safe for now. She was the only one in imminent danger.

The second man walked around the side of the bed and stood next to Pat. "I believe you," Pat said. "Looks like we're gonna have to bring him to us."

"Good luck finding him!" Rachel said quickly. "He's not from here and he's probably heading home right now."

"I have my orders," Pat said. Rachel gripped the pen in her hand tightly as he stepped closer and closer.

As soon as he was in arm's reach, Rachel picked up the pen and drilled it into his arm.

"Son of a bitch!" the man yelled, stepping away from Rachel. She had to look away in disgust; the pen was sticking out of his arm. Seeing that the door was still wide open, Rachel jumped onto the bed and tried to make a run for it. Before she could step into the hallway, she felt two arms wrap around her waist and pull her to the ground.

"Get off me!" Rachel shouted. She tried to wiggle out of the second man's grip. He placed one knee on her midsection, pinning her to the ground. One of his hands was holding her left and his right was frantically trying to grab her other hand.

But Rachel was too quick for him.

She pulled back her fist and launched it at his face, hitting him square in the nose like she had done to Finn the other night. The man let go of Rachel's left hand and brought both of his hands to his nose, screaming in pain. Rachel then used both of her hands and shoved him away from her. He fell over, still holding his nose. He was right in the way of the door, so Rachel backed up a little, needing to find another weapon to get away.

She spotted the ugly ceramic lamp on Finn's side of the bed and picked it up. She jerked the plug out of the socket and stepped toward the second man. She was a second away from throwing the lamp at the man's face before she felt something hit the side of her head.

The lamp fell to the ground just as Rachel did, shattering into a hundred pieces.

-glee-glee-glee-

Finn didn't have any extremely important matters on his mind as he made his way back to the motel an hour after he had left. The clothes were all clean and he hadn't accidentally bleached anything, so he knew Rachel would be proud. The only thing he was really thinking about was spending more quality time with Rachel. Basically, he was hoping that her cramps would let up so that they could spend some more time together, preferably naked…

What? He was a guy with a healthy sex drive and a hot girlfriend. Nothing wrong with that.

While his girlfriend was on his mind, he also kept a lookout for anything suspicious. This was a point in time that Finn wasn't too happy that he was freakishly tall; he could be spotted easily by people he would rather not be spotted by. That thought made him walk to the hotel rather quickly.

Finn was walking down the hallway toward his and Rachel's room when he got hit with the gut feeling that something wasn't right. With the duffel bag in one hand, Finn reached for his gun with the other. He stopped right next to the door and tried to listen for any noises that were out of the ordinary. When he heard silence, he became frightened and immediately prayed that Rachel was sleeping.

Finn quietly set the duffel bag down next to the door and checked to make sure this gun was ready to be fired. Walking in the room with his gun drawn might freak Rachel out if he was just overreacting, but Finn couldn't deny what his gut was telling him.

He reached down and was about to see if the door was locked when he realized that it wasn't even closed all the way.

"Shit," Finn said under his breath. He closed his eyes, trying to stop himself from thinking the worst. He then placed his hand on the door and pushed it open the rest of the way, raising his gun immediately.

The room was empty. And completely destroyed.

"Rachel?" Finn called out, praying for an answer. His heart sank when he didn't hear her incredible voice calling back.

Finn first noticed that the bed was messed up; when he had left, Rachel was lying on top of the covers, but the bed was made. Now, the comforter was partially on the floor and the pillows and sheet were strewn about. Stepping farther into the room, Finn heard a crunching noise from under his feet. He looked down and saw the lamp broken in tiny pieces.

The closet door was wide open and the drawers to the dresser were all open; the bottom drawer was even lying on the floor. Finn walked to the other side of the bed toward the bathroom. The bathroom door was wide open and Rachel was nowhere to be found.

"No, no, no, no, no, no," Finn continued chanting to himself over and over again. He walked back out of the bathroom and stepped on something else. He moved his foot and saw a pen lying on the ground. The end of it was covered in blood and there were spots of blood on the floor.

Finn felt a wave of anger wash through him thinking that it could be Rachel's blood. If it was, he was going to torture the people responsible until they were dead. He didn't care if it was against the law or not.

He had to remind himself that Rachel might still be alive. If they were going to kill her, they would have done it here and just left her. They obviously took her. But why? Nick wanted them dead, so why not just kill her?

Then it hit him.

They were going to use her to get to him. _At least she's alive_, Finn thought in relief. But he swore to himself that he would get her back. And if they hurt her at all, they would have hell to pay.

Finn sat on the edge of the bed, trying to think of what to do next. One thing was certain – he couldn't do this alone. But if he went to the precinct, they would make Finn still stay under protective custody while they tried to find Rachel. So he couldn't go to them.

But he could go to his best friend. Finn got up quickly and went back into the hallway, grabbing the duffel bag. He then went around the room and grabbed the rest of his and Rachel's things; she would need them when he found her. _Which I will_, Finn thought to himself.

He left the room the way it was, not caring about how messy it looked. His and Rachel's things were all in the duffel bag, which Finn slung over his shoulder. He put his gun back in the waistband of his shorts before walking out of the hotel room for the last time.

He checked them out earlier than expected and told the manager of the hotel to just keep the left over money (he didn't mention the blood stains or the broken lamp).

Then Finn caught a cab and made his way to his best friend's place.

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel's head was pounding when she woke up. It took her a second to remember why, though. When she did, her eyes shot open and she started panicking.

She was in the middle of a huge, dirty room. It smelled really bad and Rachel was convinced that she was breathing in mold of some sort. She tried moving, but her arms and legs were bound to a chair. There was also a rag tied around her face, with some of it in her mouth, preventing her from speaking.

_How the hell am I going to get out of here?_ Rachel asked herself.

Before she could look around for weapons and form a plan, a door behind her opened. She tried to turn and see who was coming from her, but being tied to the chair made it difficult.

She heard footsteps approaching and grew more and more nervous. They stopped right behind her and she felt someone loosening the cloth around her mouth. It fell into her lap.

"Who are you?" Rachel asked in a clear voice.

She heard a laugh and then the person walked around the chair to stand in front of her.

It was Nick.

"What the hell do you want with me?" Rachel asked in an angry tone.

"I think you know what I want," Nick said with a smirk.

"You want me dead. So why am I still alive?" Rachel asked bluntly.

"You are quite beautiful, but there's someone I want to see more than you," Nick said.

"If you're talking about Finn, this little plan of yours isn't going to work," Rachel said firmly. "He doesn't care about me anymore. He told me so himself. Do you really think that he's going to try and come rescue me?" She was pretty impressed with her acting skills; she almost believed the lies herself.

"That's exactly what I think," Nick said smugly.

"Well, you're an idiot then," Rachel said with a sarcastic giggle. Nick's playful demeanor turned into one of annoyance as he slapped Rachel across the face. The force of the slap brought tears to her eyes.

"I don't appreciate name calling," Nick said. Rachel looked up at him with pure hate. "Now, you're going to tell me where I can find that boyfriend of yours. We've already been to his place but he wasn't there. We left a… message saying where he could find you, but he might not go there. So, tell me where he is so we can get him to come to us."

"I don't know where he is," Rachel spat. Nick raised his hand again, but this time he punched Rachel in the jaw. She cried out in pain.

"You're lying!" Nick accused angrily.

"No I'm not!" Rachel shouted. Tears were falling down her face. She might have been a tough New Yorker who didn't take crap from anyone, but she wasn't used to full grown men punching her. "I don't know where the hell he is and I don't care!"

Nick punched her again; this time, Rachel could feel her lip being split open. "You might have fooled the others with your acting, Miss Berry, but you're not fooling me! Tell me where he is!"

"Hit me all you want! I don't know where the _fuck_ he is!" she shouted. He hit her again. Rachel could taste the blood in her mouth. She then started realizing that this "tough girl" act wasn't getting her anywhere. She had to come up with a new plan.

-glee-glee-glee-

The cab pulled up to Noah Puckerman's apartment building and Finn jumped out after tossing some cash to the cab driver. Finn ran inside the building, not caring about the people that were staring at him. He was too impatient to wait for the elevator, so Finn took the stairs to the fourth floor.

The adrenaline and slight panic allowed him to move faster than he ever had up the stairs. When he reached Puck's door, he pounded on it, not giving a shit about manners.

"Hold on!" he heard someone shout sleepily from behind the door. Finn stopped beating the crap out of the door and waited for Puck to answer.

"Hudson? What the hell are you doing here?" Puck asked once the door was open. "Aren't you supposed to be in protective custody?"

Finn shoved past him and went into the apartment. "Sure, come on in," Puck said sarcastically. He observed Finn and realized that he looked a little antsy and partially scared shitless. "Dude, what the fuck's going on?"

Finn tried to speak, but he was having trouble finding the words. "It's Rachel…" he said.

"That hot chick you've been banging?" Puck said with a smirk. "Did you guys fight or something? Your dumb ass didn't get her pregnant, did you? Last night when you called everything sounded fine."

"First of all, you aren't supposed to mention to anyone that I've been keeping in contact with you," Finn said firmly. "If the Florimonte family found out, they'd use you to get to me and Rach."

"Dude, I'm not an idiot," Puck said, rolling his eyes. "But what the hell's going on?" He watched Finn, who was pacing back and forth.

Finn stopped suddenly and turned to face Puck. "Rachel's gone," he said after a long moment. "They took her."

"How the fuck did that happen?" Puck asked, full of concern.

"I left to go the damn Laundromat. She was cramping, so I told her to just stay there and I took the damn gun with me! I'm such a damn idiot!" Finn practically yelled.

"You're not an idiot," Puck said quickly. "But what happened after that?"

Finn took a deep breath. "I came back and the door was open a little. I went in and the room was fucking _trashed_, dude. The bed was all screwed up and the lamp was smashed on the floor. All the drawers and everything were open like they were gone through. And I found some blood on the floor and shit…" Finn knew that if Rachel were here, she would probably yell at him for cussing so much.

"Damn," Puck said. He ran a hand through his short hair. He was pretty pissed when he had to cut off his Mohawk for the job. Stupid workplace policies… "Did you call the precinct?"

"What? And have them stick me in some other shitty ass motel room while they waste time instead of actually trying to find Rachel?" Finn asked incredulously.

"You're right," Puck agreed. "Detective Kelley's probably the shittiest detective I've ever seen."

"Exactly," Finn said quickly. "That's why I gotta find her on my own."

"What do you need me to do?" Puck asked; Finn looked at him in confusion. "I'm not just gonna sit on my ass while you take down the Florimonte family on your own. Plus, I'm off for a couple days."

"How'd you get off?" Finn asked. "Rookies don't get vacation time."

"I told 'em my aunt died," Puck said, shrugging.

"You told me your mom's an only child," Finn said, sounding confused.

"Well, they don't know that, do they?" Puck replied. "So… what do we do now?"

"I have no fucking clue," Finn said in a huff.

"We'll just think through this…" Puck said slowly. They both sat there, absorbed in their thoughts. New York was a pretty big place with tons of places to hide, so where the hell could they be hiding Rachel?

"You told me last week that they went to her place. They shot up her landlord, right?" Puck asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well maybe they went to your place, too, looking for info about you or something," Puck explained.

"But how could going where they _might_ have been a week ago help us _now_?" Finn asked.

"I'm not exactly sure, dude. But it's a start, right?" Puck asked. Finn thought for a moment. He couldn't think of where else to look for Rachel.

"You're right…" Finn agreed after a few moments.

"Let me get some shoes on and we'll go," Puck said, walking toward his bedroom.

"Thanks, man," Finn said sincerely.

"Don't mention it," Puck said nonchalantly as he was walking away. "There's nothing on TV anyway."

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel's face was throbbing. She lost count of how many times Nick had hit her, trying to get answers. She was starting to feel drowsy, making her wonder if the repeated blows to the head had caused a concussion or something. It was a struggle for her to remember the symptoms of a concussion. It was almost as hard for her to stay focused on what her captor was saying.

"Let's try this again," Nick said in a huff. "Tell me where we can find the cop or I swear I'll beat your face in."

_You already have_, Rachel said weakly to herself. She waited too long to answer and Nick raised his fist again. She couldn't take another hit; she knew that much.

"Stop!" she yelled as loudly as she could. "I'll tell you where he might be!"

She opened her swollen eyes as far as they would go; Nick had that creepy smile on his face again that made her skin crawl.

"Talk," he commanded. Rachel took a deep breath before speaking.

"He might be staying with his best friend…"

TBC

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A/N: And there you have it! Is Rachel going to put Finn and Puck in danger by talking? Will they find her before things get worse? Read on to find out! And thanks so much for reading and reviewing thus far. You guys and gals really are incredible :)


	6. Target Practice

A/N: I am so glad that you guys like this story! Sorry it's been a couple of days since I've updated; I've had literally tons of homework to do! But I have a little time now, so here's chapter six! I still own nothing from the world of Glee…

Chapter Six: Target Practice

Once he and Puck got to his apartment, Finn bent down and grabbed his key from under the welcome mat.

"Dude, you're making it a bit too easy for people to break into your place," Puck said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm pretty sure if someone really wants to get in, a locked door isn't going to stop them," Finn said, putting the key in the lock and unlocking the door.

"Good point," Puck said after a moment of contemplation. Finn put the key back and then pushed his door open the rest of the way.

"Damn…" he heard Puck say in a low voice. _Damn_ was right; Finn's apartment looked as if a bomb went off inside. His couch was shoved against the wall with its cushions scattered on the floor. His glass coffee table was broken and shoved to the side. His pictures were knocked off the walls and his television was lying face down on the ground. It was a crappy TV anyway, so Finn wasn't that concerned about it. The only thing that wasn't destroyed was his dad's old recliner; it sat in the corner of the room, as dependable looking as ever.

Finn walked slowly into his apartment with Puck right behind him. They walked into the hallway and noticed that all the pictures were broken on the ground; even the one with Finn and his mom at his high school graduation.

They walked into his bedroom and saw that his room resembled the one at the hotel. His covers and pillows were either hanging off the bed or lying on the floor, his closet was open and clothes were scattered everywhere, and his dresser drawers were all open with the contents spilling out.

"What the hell was the point of messing up the bed?" Puck asked. "I mean, I get looking through your drawers and closet for info and stuff, but why the bed?"

"They probably just did it to be assholes," Finn said, sounding annoyed. "Let's go." They walked back through the hallway and into the living room. Finn was about to walk back out the front door, defeated, when Puck pulled him by the arm.

"What?" Finn asked, turning around.

"You didn't check the kitchen," Puck said.

"Why would I? Just to see all my plates and shit broken on the ground?" Finn asked a little angrily.

Puck rolled his eyes again before walking toward the kitchen. Finn stood there, feeling a little impatient. He was supposed to be finding Rachel, not surveying the damage in his apartment. He was about to yell to Puck and tell him it was time to go when Puck yelled for him.

"Get your ass in here," Puck said. Finn's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, but he walked into the kitchen. Puck was standing by the fridge, surrounded by broken plates and glass that littered the floor like confetti at a parade. "This was on your fridge." Puck handed him a piece of paper that he was holding. Finn grabbed it and looked down at a printed picture of Rachel.

She was lying there with her eyes closed, probably unconscious. A trail of blood was falling down the side of her head; it made Finn feel sick. Written on the note was an address.

"She's kind of hot," Puck said, shrugging. Finn looked up in disbelief before shoving Puck in the shoulder.

"I swear, the only brain you have is your penis," Finn muttered. "Isn't this down by all the warehouses and the loading docks?" Finn asked, pointing to the address.

Puck looked down at the paper for a second time. "Yeah. I think so," he said. "Should we call it in? Tell them Florimonte's keeping someone hostage there?"

"No. I'm taking care of it," Finn said. He looked down at Rachel sadly one more time before folding the paper up and putting it in his pocket.

"Dude, don't try and be the damn hero," Puck said quickly. "We've both seen plenty of action flicks, man. This is a trap and you know it."

"I really don't give a shit," Finn answered in a flat voice. "They've got Rachel and she's probably hurt, so I'm going. You can go too or you can stay here. I really don't care, but you can't stop me from going to get her."

Puck looked like he wanted to argue, but he could see no trace of hesitation in Finn's eyes.

"I'm in," Puck said gruffly. "You need someone there to cover your suicidal ass."

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Rachel was tired before, but now she was completely and totally exhausted. Her face was still throbbing; hell, her entire head was just a blob of constant pain. But she sat there, not letting them see her in pain. She wouldn't let them think for a second that they beat her.

Nick was sitting in front of her at a little fold out table; he was playing a card game with three other people, seeming totally at ease. Rachel looked out the window and realized that it was now dark outside. She wasn't sure how long she had been abducted, but it had at least been half a day.

As she sat there, she glared at Nick, wishing that lasers would suddenly start shooting out of her eyes. When she wasn't contemplating Nick's murder, she was thinking about Finn. Had he told the police about her? Did he have any idea where she was? Would he come soon? Part of her wished that he wouldn't since Nick wanted him dead so badly. Nick explained it all to hear earlier.

"You get more time in jail for trying to hurt a cop, dumbass," Nick said, rolling his eyes. "But you? You're forgettable. I know everything about you. You have no friends. Well, not anymore," he said with a smile. "You have no family. No one will miss you. But I'll go down for trying to kill a cop. If he's dead, he can't testify against me."

"Why not just kill me then and look for him?" Rachel asked, feeling offended.

"Trust me bitch, it's tempting," Nick said with a glare. "But I've been watching the two of you. If anything's gonna bring that son of a bitch to me, it's you."

Rachel tried to ask more and more questions, but Nick got annoyed and tied the rag around her mouth again.

Since then, Rachel had been sitting here, wondering how the hell to get out. If she got out, Finn wouldn't be in danger by coming to get her. And if she got free, she could steal one of their guns and take them all out. Like in an action movie.

There was just one problem.

Rachel was a hundred pound girl who was tied tightly to a chair with four large men keeping an eye on her. This wasn't going to be easy, but she was as stubborn as they come.

So she would wait for the perfect opportunity.

Little did she know, Finn and Puck were trying to form a plan of their own.

-glee-glee-glee-

What felt like an eternity later, Nick and three of the men had left the room. Before leaving, however, Nick stopped in front of Rachel and smiled sickeningly at her.

"We're keeping an eye on your boyfriend's place. If we see that cop of yours, he'll be dead before he hits the ground," he said, smirking.

Rachel plastered a believable look of terror on her face and started whining a little; her cries were muffled by the rag, but Nick smiled even more widely at her discomfort.

He then left the room and Rachel sank back into a state of deep thought.

_I wonder when he'll realize I gave him a fake address_, she thought to herself smugly. She reigned in her feeling of accomplishment and focused on the man in the room. He was sitting in one of the chairs, totally and completely not paying attention to Rachel. As she watched him, it seemed like he was getting sleepy. Part of her hoped she wasn't imagining it out of desperation.

While sitting there, Rachel had wiggled around enough that the ropes on her hands and feet were looser than before. They weren't about to just _fall_ off of her or anything, though. She needed something to cut them off.

Rachel looked around her again, with more of a critical eye than before. There were random old filing cabinets around the room and some broken down desks, but she didn't really see anything sharp that could get her loose. She closed her eyes and focused on all of the old action movies she had seen where a person was tied up and tried to get loose.

She didn't have a laser in a watch like James Bond did.

She didn't have a knife hidden somewhere on her.

She couldn't just jump up and break the chair beneath her. That would totally clue the man in on what she was doing.

But the chair was made of wood.

So it had to be put together with nails or screws.

She could totally dig one out and use it to cut herself loose!

Rachel frantically felt around the edges of the chair that she could reach for a nail or a screw that was loose. Now was not the time to think about breaking a nail or something like that!

As she felt around, her heart started to sink; all of the nails were pretty securely in the chair. And her hands couldn't reach much farther.

Her wrist was at a funny angle when she felt something protruding from the back of the chair.

_Yes!_ she screamed in joy in her mind. It hurt like hell, but she started pinching at the nail as hard as she could, shaking it back and forth to loosen it. She tried to keep her grunts to a minimum as she wrestled with the stubborn piece of metal.

Her fingertips were becoming raw and sore when the nail finally came loose. She almost started crying out of pure joy, but now she had to use the nail to cut the rope as best as she could. With the nail in her right hand, she pulled the rope tight with her left and started cutting as best as she could.

The nail slipped a few times, making her cut her left hand.

_Great! Now if I get out of here, I'll need a tetanus shot! _she thought to herself.

She was slightly grateful though; the cuts distracted her from the pounding in her head, if for only a moment.

She felt like crying in relief again when the rope fell from her hands. So, her hands were free, but she couldn't just start working on freeing her feet with the man sitting there, watching her.

Rachel would have to be patient.

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"That has to be the stupidest plan I've ever heard," Puck complained. They were standing next to another abandoned building; the one that they thought Rachel was in was visible from their spot.

"That's why it's going to work, dumbass!" Finn hissed quietly. "It's so stupid that they won't see it coming."

"So you just want to walk in there, guns blazing, grab her and run away?" Puck asked.

"Not quite. I grab her, bring her to you, and then I take care of Florimonte," Finn explained.

"By yourself?" Puck asked.

"Yes," Finn said firmly. "I need to get Rachel out of harm's way and you're not getting hurt because of me. I need to end this."

"Wait!" Puck said quickly. "If you kill this Nick kid, the rest of his family's going gonna be on your ass, dude. For, like, the rest of time or something!" Finn looked down at the ground, deeply in thought. He knew Puck was right, but what else could he do? Then, an idea popped into his head.

"Call the precinct. Tell them there's suspicious activity down at the docks and disguise your voice. And say that you heard gunshots," Finn added. "We'll go in there and by the time we get Rachel out and everything, the cops should be here."

"You're lucky I brought my phone," Puck muttered, reaching into his pocket. "And if one of us ends up dead or something, I'm kicking your ass."

Finn couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of his statement.

-glee-glee-glee-

_Finally!_ Rachel thought to herself as the man dozed off. His head was lolled forward and she could hear him snoring softly.

She brought her hands out from behind her and realized how sore they were from resting in the same position for _hours_. She stretched quickly, holding in her moans. She then leaned over and started sawing away at the rope that was keeping her bound to the chair.

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"You're too heavy!" Puck complained quietly. One of Finn's feet was in Puck's hand while Puck tried to hoist Finn up so that he could peek into a high window.

"Just hold on," Finn whispered. He grabbed the edge of the windowsill and pulled himself up even further. His arms were shaking in the effort it took to hold himself up while he peeked in the window. What he saw made his heart sore.

Rachel was sitting in a chair, obviously trying to get loose. Across the room, a guy was sleeping, completely oblivious to Rachel in the process of escaping.

"Dude," Puck huffed in exhaustion.

Finn lowered himself from the window. "Put me down," he said. Puck then dropped Finn's foot from his hand. The sudden movement made Finn fall backwards onto his ass. "You could have done it gently!" Finn said.

"Do you have any idea how much you weigh?" Puck said, stretching his arms in front of him.

"Shut up," Finn said in a huff. He got to his feet and turned to face Puck. "Rachel doesn't even need our help. She's almost loose on her own," Finn said with a smile.

"Damn," Puck said, sounding impressed.

"We still have to get her out though," Finn said. Puck nodded in agreement. "Let's go," Finn said.

They walked around to the side of the building where one of the doors was. Finn put his hand on the handle and tried to twist it; the knob twisted, but the door wouldn't open. Finn pulled harder, not wanting to make too much noise.

It still wouldn't budge.

"Shit!" Finn complained. "It's locked from the inside." He checked the other side of the door, trying to find a way to open it. "Puck! Find something I can use for leverage. We'll have to pop the hinges off."

They both then started frantically searching around, looking for something to open the door and free Rachel.

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The rope around her feet broke apart faster than the rope on her hands did. When it did, she jumped up quickly and stumbled a bit. Her head was still bothering her and she was almost sure that she had a concussion. She didn't even want to see how bad the injuries to her face were.

She pushed these thoughts aside and focused on getting to the door. The only other door in the room was the one that Nick and the others took, so she knew that she wouldn't take that one. That left only the door on the other side of the room. The one she had to walk past the sleeping man to get to.

Rachel tiptoed, trying to remain as silent as possible. Her heart was pounding while she worried that at any moment the man could wake up or Nick could come walking right back through the door. She wanted to run toward the door, but that would be too loud. So she had no choice but to walk slowly and quietly.

She was almost to the door when a sudden snore made her jump in fear. Rachel could have sworn that she had a heart attack in that moment. She turned back toward the man and realized that he was still sleeping. She said a quiet prayer of thanks to whoever was listening and continued tiptoeing toward the door.

Once she reached it, her heart seized in her chest.

There was a huge padlock on the door.

Before she could start hyperventilating, she took a deep breath and forced herself to focus. _Keep it together, Rachel! Find the key!_ she told herself.

The search didn't take very long. On a table right next to the door sat a key. Rachel figured either Nick was an idiot or he seriously underestimated her ability to escape. After a second of thought, she realized it was both.

She picked up the key and stepped back toward the door. _What if it doesn't fit_? she asked herself in a moment of panic. She shook her head lightly, not wanting to irritate the headache, and told herself to shut up and focus.

With a shaky hand, she grabbed the lock and pushed the key in. Her knees weakened slightly when it fit. She could literally smell the fresh air already! Rachel turned the key to the side, heard a faint click and pulled down on the lock.

It came loose!

She pulled it out and put it down on the table with the key. She then turned the knob and pushed the door open.

-glee-glee-glee-

Finn and Puck both jumped and looked up from their search when they heard the door open. Finn stood straight up and pulled his gun out of his waistband, pointing it toward the door.

He dropped it to the ground when he saw Rachel limp out of the warehouse.

Rachel had just quietly closed the door when she heard someone running toward her. She looked up and saw Finn with a smile on his face. Although it hurt, Rachel smiled too and threw herself into his arms.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. So sorry. I'm sorry," Finn said over and over again as he hugged her. He kissed her tenderly on her head repeatedly as well.

Rachel couldn't quite respond for a few seconds because she had started crying. She hugged him tighter and tighter, afraid that she was going to be taken from him again.

Puck just stood there awkwardly.

After a few long moments, Finn pushed Rachel away a bit to survey her injuries. Her lip was split, there was a gash on her head, she had two black eyes, and her nose was bleeding.

"What in the world happened to you?" Finn asked in shock.

"I wouldn't tell him where you were," Rachel said quietly.

"But you didn't know where I was," Finn said, sounding confused.

"I know. He didn't believe me. Hence the bruised face," Rachel explained.

"I'm just so glad you're alright," Finn said, pulling her in for another hug.

"Me, too," Rachel said firmly. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Rach. More than you know," Finn said before kissing her softly on the head again.

All three of them looked up when they heard shouting from inside the warehouse.

"I suggest we get the hell out of here," Puck said, sounding nervous. "The cops… well, the _other_ cops are on their way."

"Right," Finn said. He let go of all of Rachel except for her hand and pulled her with him. "Let's go, babe."

Rachel nodded before running alongside Finn. Puck was already to a warehouse across the large lot when they heard the door slam open. They heard more shouting and ran even faster.

"Come on, Rach," Finn said as they ran. Rachel was lagging behind a little, but her head was pounding. She also felt like passing out at any moment.

Rachel jumped in panic when she heard a gun firing. She felt like getting sick when Finn fell to the ground. She jerked to a stop since he was still holding her hand.

"Finn!" Rachel shouted. She looked down at him. He was moaning and holding his side, which Rachel was alarmed to see was slowly becoming covered in blood. "Oh no," she moaned. She looked up and saw that Nick and the man that was sleeping were running at them. They both had guns drawn. "Finn, come on!" she shouted, tugging at him.

Finn rolled to his side and looked up at Rachel. "Just go, Rach. Run," he said.

"No!" she shouted. She was going to argue some more when she felt two strong arms wrap themselves around her. She was then lifted up and pulled backward, away from Finn.

Rachel turned her head and saw that it was Puck that was pulling her.

"Stop it!" she yelled. "Put me down!"

"No," Puck said firmly. Rachel turned and saw that Nick and the other man were getting closer to Finn. Then, her view to them was cut off as Puck rounded the corner to the warehouse.

"Stop!" Rachel shouted. "We can't leave him!" She was put down roughly and she turned to Puck. "Give me your gun," she demanded.

Puck looked at her like she was insane. "What?" he asked.

"Give me your gun," she demanded again. Instead of waiting for him to do it, Rachel snatched it from his hand. She then turned and peeked around the side of the building. Nick was standing over Finn with his gun pointed at his head.

Rachel then spread her legs for balance and aimed before firing the gun.

-glee-glee-glee-

Finn closed his eyes right before he heard the sound of a gun firing. He then sat there a moment, fully expecting to be in pain from being shot. Or expecting to be dead and stuff. But he wasn't.

Finn opened his eyes and saw Nick cradling his bloody, gun-less hand, sobbing in pain. He then heard another gunshot. The large man who was standing next to Nick fell to the ground. Before Finn could turn and see who was shooting, Nick was hit again, this time in the leg.

He screamed loudly before landing on the concrete. Finn heard footsteps coming toward him and looked up in time to see Puck kicking the guns away from Nick and his buddy.

"Nice shooting," Finn said, still clutching his side.

"Wasn't me," Puck said with a smirk. He reached his hand out and pulled Finn to his feet. Finn turned and saw Rachel walking toward him slowly with a gun in her hand. Finn closed the distance between them.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked in a panic.

"I'll be fine," Finn insisted. "The bullet just grazed me." Rachel exhaled in relief before jumping up on her tiptoes to kiss Finn on the lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. He wrapped one of his arms around her, too.

They pulled apart when they heard Puck making gagging noises.

"Shut it, Puckerman," Finn snapped. He was then caught off guard when Rachel punched him hard in the shoulder.

"What was that for?" he yelled in confusion.

"For trying to sacrifice yourself for me!" she shouted. "If you ever do something as idiotic as that again, _I'll_ shoot you."

Finn heard Puck laugh. Rachel stomped over to him and punched him too.

"What the fuck did I do?" Puck asked angrily.

"That's for picking me up and slinging me around like a ragdoll!" Rachel shouted.

They all then heard the sound of sirens approaching, which made them all exhale in relief.

"You were right, Hudson," Puck said. "She's bossy as hell."

Finn heard Puck shout in pain as Rachel punched him again.

He couldn't help but laugh.

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A/N: And there you have it! Thanks SO much for reading and reviewing my little story, guys! It means the world to me that you would leave such kind comments. Please stay tuned for the epilogue!


	7. Epilogue: A Special Occasion

A/N: So here's the epilogue for you amazing people! Thanks AGAIN for reading and reviewing this story. I'm so glad that you loved it so much! Please recommend it to others :) I still don't own anything from Glee, but I'd be more than happy to.

Epilogue: A Special Occasion

ONE YEAR LATER

Finn Hudson's heart was pounding. He wasn't this nervous when he took his final test for his police officer certification. He wasn't this nervous when he and Rachel had to take the witness stand against Nick Florimonte during court. He wasn't this nervous when he introduced his mother to Rachel (they _love _each other and talk every single day). He wasn't this nervous when he asked Rachel to move in with him. Hell, he wasn't even this nervous when he proposed to Rachel last month (she _totally_ said yes, btw).

But now, sitting in the audience before Rachel's freaking _Broadway debut_, Finn felt like getting sick.

It's not that he didn't have confidence in her; he believed more in her than he believed in himself. He was just worried about the assholes out there that might say terrible shit about his fiancé. Rachel insisted numerous times that she could handle anything the critics threw at her, but Finn didn't like the fact that people might question her talent (which was the most talent he had ever seen anyone posses EVER).

So he sat there, in the front row, in the suit that Rachel picked out. The roses he was going to give her after the show were already tucked away safely under the seat. He had checked at least five times that they couldn't get trampled. He was holding the playbill in his hand. He read the title of the musical. _West Side Story_. Sure, they passed Rachel up for the show last year, but after she helped bring down Nick Florimonte on numerous counts of murder, one count of assault, and a count of kidnapping, among other things, she was suddenly more _interesting_ to casting directors.

At first, Rachel and Finn were both a little put out that they paid more attention to her stories in the newspaper than her singing, dancing, and acting (hello, triple threat!), but Rachel realized that this kind of publicity was better than no publicity at all. And she was positive that after tonight's performance, they would know her as Rachel Berry: the woman who played Maria exquisitely, and not Rachel Berry: the chick who locked up a member of a mob family.

He opened the playbill and looked around a bit. He noticed Rachel's picture and was struck again by just how beautiful she was. They had been living together for months now and he was so happy that he got to wake up to her flawless face every morning (he was promoted for helping bring Florimonte down and didn't have to take the grave shift anymore). The cuts and bruises were long gone. Rachel was happy once they were faded and she could audition again. Finn thought she looked like a badass the entire time, but he was happy that she was happy.

He read her bio, which he knew about already. Then he got down to the personal messages.

_To anyone who ever doubted me: thanks for letting me prove you wrong. _(That's my girl! he thought)

_To my fathers, who I wish could be sitting front row: thank you for loving me unconditionally. _

_And to my fiancé: thank you for tolerating me, for loving me, and for believing in me. Thanks also for crashing into my car. You've changed my life for the better and I'm thankful everyday for you. _

After reading that, Finn couldn't help but smile. He felt exactly the same way about her; well, except for the whole "crashing into my car" thing. That was totally his fault.

The lights then started blinking, signaling that the show was about to start. Finn took a deep breath to calm his nerves before the curtain opened.

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Finn cried. He was practically sobbing by the time the play was over. Sure, she was acting like she was in love with someone else, but Rachel was just _so damn amazingly perfect_ that he couldn't help but get caught up in the musical. Her voice gave him chills even though he had heard her sing these songs at least a hundred times before. Her dancing amazed him; she had never seemed more graceful. And her acting made him realize that she would be doing this for a long time. And that she would be winning tons of awards.

Finn gave a standing ovation at the end of the play. But he wasn't the only one. The entire audience was on their feet, applauding. Finn even nudged a guy next to him, pointed at Rachel, and proudly said "that's my fiancé".

When it was Rachel's turn to bow, Finn clapped so loudly that he started to lose the feeling in his hands. Rachel caught his eye and smiled at him. He had to remind himself to breathe.

As the amphitheater cleared, Finn was suddenly glad that Puck couldn't make it; he would totally bust Finn in the balls for crying so much.

Finn grabbed the flowers out from under his chair, which he was glad to see were still intact. He clutched his playbill tightly, quickly promising to himself to keep every single one that Rachel would ever be in. He then made his way outside to where Rachel would come out.

He was surprised to see that there was a huge group of people out there, too, waiting for autographs and stuff. It was pretty awesome.

One by one, the actors exited through the doors.

Rachel was one of the last ones out; as soon as she walked out of the door, the crowd got excited and everyone held out their playbills and other things for autographs. Finn stood there in amazement as Rachel signed something for every person there and even took pictures with the ones that asked. Her smile never faltered.

As the group dispersed, Rachel spotted Finn leaning against the wall. She wished the remaining fans goodnight before walking over to him.

"Hello there, sir," she said happily. "Did you enjoy the show?"

"I most certainly did, Miss Berry. You were amazing," he said, playing along. He held out the flowers with a wide grin.

"Thank you," Rachel said brightly, grabbing the flowers. "These are beautiful, Finn."

"Don't mention it," Finn said. "Now, how would you like to join me for a nice, long bubble bath? Don't worry, your favorite champagne is included." He held his arm out and Rachel gripped it tightly.

"That sounds perfect," Rachel replied with a smile.

-glee-glee-glee-

She leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked to their apartment.

"I read what you wrote," Finn said.

"Hmm?" Rachel asked, coming out of a deep thought.

"In the playbill. I read what you wrote," Finn explained. "I just wanted to let you know that I feel the same way."

"That's good to hear," Rachel said with a giggle. "I couldn't really marry someone who didn't love me. That wouldn't really make much sense." Finn smirked and kissed her on top of the head quickly.

They got back to the apartment minutes later. Finn locked the door, as usual, before following Rachel into their bedroom.

"Let me wash my hair and then you can join me for that bath," Rachel said, standing on her tiptoes. She kissed Finn quickly but passionately.

"I can't wait," Finn said with his little half smirk that Rachel loved. She then turned toward the bathroom and reached back to unzip her dress. She looked over her shoulder and winked at Finn before letting the dress fall to the floor.

Finn gasped after seeing that she hadn't been wearing anything underneath.

"Don't make me wait too long," Rachel said in a voice that Finn referred to as her "sexy voice". He looked down suddenly. Yup. Instant hard on. Like always. Rachel giggled before going into the bathroom.

Finn ran into the kitchen and grabbed the champagne and two glasses before heading back into his room. He undressed quicker than humanly possible and went into the bathroom. He set the champagne and glasses down by the tub before pulling the shower curtain back.

"Rach! That's _my_ razor!" Finn yelled. Rachel stopped in the middle of shaving her leg and looked up at Finn.

"Babe, it's no big deal. I'm all out," she said. "I'll buy you some more tomorrow."

"That's gross," Finn complained with a pout, which made her laugh.

He waited while she finished shaving. She put the razor down and looked at him.

"Aren't you going to join me?" she asked.

"I'm a little angry right now," Finn said, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Oh, okay," Rachel said. "Looks like I'll just shower by myself." She shrugged before grabbing some conditioner and rubbing through her hair. Finn still stood there, naked. When she grabbed the sponge and started rubbing soap all over her, Finn couldn't help it; he jumped in.

"I thought you were angry," Rachel said, giggling. Finn wrapped his arms around her and kissed her sensuously.

"You've been forgiven," he said with a smirk.

"I'm glad to hear that," Rachel said. "But does that have anything to do with the fact that I'm naked and you're… excited?" she asked, looking down at his crotch. He was standing at full attention.

"That might have something to do with it," Finn said with a chuckle, which made Rachel laugh.

After exploring one another in the shower and then again on the bed, they were both exhausted.

Rachel was lying on his chest, and both of them were huffing and puffing a little.

"I love you so much," Finn said, kissing her on the forehead.

"I love you, too," Rachel murmured, snuggling deeper into his side. They were both quiet as their heart rates slowed down. Rachel felt totally and completely at ease. Finally, it felt like _everything_ in her life was perfect. She had an amazing job doing something she loved; she had an incredible fiancé, who loved her despite all of her quirks; and she had friends now, who she could call for anything.

Finn's stepbrother, Kurt, was now her best friend; he had already begun frantically planning the wedding. He called with ideas literally ten times a day. Even Puck was somewhat of a friend – when he wasn't busy driving her crazy with sex jokes and things like that. Charles's daughter, Mercedes, was even closer to Rachel now. Oh, and Rachel still had her cat, Sophia, who was probably sleeping in Finn's dad's chair.

All in all, life was good. No complaints.

"Babe?" Finn said quietly.

"Yeah?" Rachel replied.

"Don't forget to get me some new razors tomorrow."

Rachel looked up at Finn and realized he was totally being serious. Rachel then laughed so hard that she cried.

THE END

-glee-glee-glee-

A/N: That's it! Wow. I'm kind of sad it's all over now! I can't stop saying this, but I am so happy that you guys have continued reading and commenting on this story from the first chapter. The comments you left have been some of the sweetest compliments I have ever received. I am so thankful for all of you.

Now, I'm thinking of a new story. This one might deal more with the supernatural. It _might_ include the glee club being trapped in a haunted hotel. I know it sounds cheesy, but I read _The Shining _and I've become inspired. (But I won't copy the story!) It would be kind of scary and would include more characters than Finn and Rachel (it would be FInchel-centric though since I love them so freaking much!). Let me know what you think! Thanks again!

You're all unicorns! :)


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